


*' 




Class. 
Book. 



Copyright N°_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT; 




A Dear Little Girl was Looking for Leaves 



NATOUE 

IN STORY AND VERSE 



For the Kindergarten 
School and Home 



By 

KITTIE BALDWIN JAQUES 

Graduate of 
St. Louis Kindergarten Training School 



Chicago 

The Henneberry Company 

1912 



LBu*5 
.33 



COPYRIGHT, 1912 

BY 

KITTIE BALDWIN JAQUES 
All Rights Reserved 



GCLA316195 



^o 



Lovingly Dedicated 
to my Two Children 

whose happy childhood has 
been the inspiration for these 

Stories and Verses 




THEN Nature, the good old Nurse, 
Took the young child on her knee, 
And whispered: "Here is a story book 
Thy Father has written for thee/' 

Selected 



T? find Earth not gray, but rosy — 
« Heaven not grim, but fair of hue. 
Do I stoop ? I pluck a posy. 

Do I stand and stare ? All's blue. 

Robert Browning 



List of Illustrations 

Page 

A Dear Little Girl Was Looking for 

Leaves Frontispiece 

Maple Seeds 22 

Howard Sat Down on the Sled 55 

The Little Children Love to Read These Messages 

of Nature 83 

Looking for the First Blue Bird 101 

Blossoms We Will Find 124 

Then Search for the Daisy's Secret, My Darling 

Little One 129 

The Evolution of the Apple 156 

Gath'ring Summer Flowers 169 

Clover Blossom Borders 181 

Our Pet Dogs 209 



CONTENTS 

Part I — Autumn 

Page 

The Leaf Dresses 11 

Autumn Leaves 13 

Getting Ready for Winter 15 

The Carpenter 18 

Seeds 19 

The Walnut Tree 23 

A Thanksgiving Talk 23 

What Shall We Do Thanksgiving? 26 

Happy Autumn Days 28 

Kindergarten Baking Exercises 29 

Apple Pie 30 

The Loaf of Bread 31 

Little Lillian Edna Blue 34 

The Squirrel Family 37 

The First Gift Balls 43 

The Little Balls as Fruits 44 

The Six Balls 45 

The Second Gift 46 

My Cat 49 

A Little Rosa Bonheur 50 



Part II— Winter 

Jack Frost 55 

What the Coal Said 56 



11 CONTENTS 

Page 

Mending Day , 60 

A Snowflake Story 62 

Little Snowfl akes 65 

Story of the Christ Child 66 

Christmas Welcome 68 

Santa Claus' Helper 69 

The New Year Talk 71 

The Little New Year 72 

Abraham Lincoln 72 

Our Flag 76 

George Washington 77 

Brave Washington 79 

What Became of the Teapot? 80 

Modern Eve's Dress 83 

A Morning Talk About Cloth— Wool 84 

Silk 85 

Linen 87 

Cotton 89 

Seeing Good in Others. 90 

Studying Nature 93 

The Lumbering Industry 94 



Part III — Spring 

Spring is Coming 101 

The Easter Talk 101 

Furry Little Caterpillar 103 

The Caterpillar 104 

The Butterfly Talk 106 

Blue Bird 108 

Pussy Willows / 109 



CONTENTS 111 

Page 

Alice and the Leaves 109 

Little Pussy Willow 115 

Linnaeus 116 

Planting the Seed 120 

The Hen and the Turkey 123 

Spring Rain 128 

Reading the Flowers 129 

Uncle George's Story of the Birds 130 

Birds so Gay . 134 

Robins, Blue Birds and Blue Jays 135 

The Nest Builders 139 

The Swallow, Oriole and Woodpecker 140 

A Dream Poem 145 

A Morning Talk About Birds — Part 1 147 

Talks About Birds—Parts II and III 148 

Classes of Birds 151 

The Wren and Brown Thrush 152 

Froebel 155 

The Evolution of the Apple 156 

Potato Planting 160 

The Bees 161 

Little Brown Bees 163 

All is Mine 164 



Part IV— Summer 

The Summer Time 169 

The Pigeons 170 

Summer Rain 173 

Story of the Snail 174 

The Three Fishes 177 



IV CONTENTS 

Page 

The Fishes 180 

Clover Blossom Borders 180 

The Swing 183 

Little Bird Tell Me 183 

The Spider and His Ways 185 

Robert Bruce and the Spider 188 

The Conquered Lesson 191 

Getting Rid of the Sweet Peas 192 

The Dandelion 195 

Studying in the Woods 197 

A Boy's Toy Store 204 

Sponges 205 

A Nature Lover 207 

Our Pet Dogs 209 

The Child's Question 213 

The Mother's Answer 214 

Our Shoes 215 

Leather 217 

Milk, Butter and Cheese 219 

If You Would Be Healthy 223 

Where Our Rubbers Come From 224 

Good Night, Dear World 226 



PREFACE 

Through the medium of the story, the 
deepest truths of science can be brought to 
the child in such a way that 'his mind will 
readily grasp the meaning. 

Many of these stories were originated 
for use in my schools and kindergartens; 
others, including all of the poems, for use 
later on, in my home, for instruction and 
entertainment of my own children. 

Friends have requested me to publish 
them, and I have done so, in hopes that they 
would be instrumental in drawing many 
children nearer to Nature, and from Na- 
ture to Nature's God. 

Little folks are eager to hear stories, 
and it seems wiser to present those calcu- 
lated to interest them in the world around 
them; for it is through the systematic 
study of Nature that their minds are to be 
developed. 

The value of rhymes in child literature 
can not be overestimated. 

If they are too young to read, the mother 
should repeat them to her children and 

5 



6 PREFACE. 

when they are old enough, they should read 
the verses for themselves. These poems 
should interest them in the living things 
around them, and be the means of helping 
to find their activities in Nature. 

Verses for children should be of simple 
construction, and language adapted to 
their understanding; thus they are awak- 
ened to the beauties of Nature. 

This little volume is intended as a help 
to teachers and mothers. 

The busy mother is often at a loss to find 
something at hand for the entertainment 
and instruction of her children. 

She wishes to give them Nature Stories 
and talks for the different seasons of the 
year ; but may be too busy to plan the un- 
dertaking of systematic, seasonable les- 
sons. 

The teacher in the schoolroom can not 
have too many helps for her important 
work with children. 

To teachers of the smaller cities and of 
rural schools (who do not have access to 
libraries), such a work must fill a long felt 
need. 



PREFACE. 



The busy teachers of larger cities re- 
quire helps on Nature Study just as much; 
for in their vocations, there is but little time 
for outlining such lessons, and constantly 
visiting the libraries for something new. 

This volume divides into four parts, be- 
ginning with Autumn, the time of the child 
starting to school. 

This is followed by the Winter, Spring 
and Summer departments of stories and 
verses, coming in the order of the year's 
school work. 

As will be seen by the perusal of the 
book, it contains Nature Study adaptable 
to the kindergarten and first four grades. 

It is also recommended as supplementary 
reading for the child at home or at school. 

Great stress is laid upon the humane 
treatment of animals; and the child is 
taught, through these lessons, not only 
how to live and see and learn, but of his 
own true relationship to all life in general. 

In many states, teachers are now re- 
quired to give pupils such instruction, and 
helpful suggestions may be found here. 

March 15, 1912. K. B. J. 



PART ONE 



AUTUMN 



The Leaf Dresses 

It was a bright September day, and the 
wind had been blowing dust in people's 
eyes and carrying off the children's hats. 

The wind hardly ever blows that way 
unless it has a message to deliver, and the 
more important the message, the harder it 
blows. 

This particular day, it came from the 
cold northland to deliver an Autumn secret 
to the large trees. 

The trees had been very proud of their 
green dresses during the Summer, not only 
for their beauty, but for the great amount 
of work they can do. They take the poison 
out of the air, and make it ready for the 
people to breathe. They afford a restful 
color to the eyes, curtain off the birds' 
nests, and shade the streets and lawns, so 
people can enjoy a cool walk, or sit and 
read under their branches. But the wind 
had brought a message to the trees, a mes- 
sage, saying that the days were much 

11 



12 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

shorter, cold weather was coming, and all 
the trees would soon go to sleep. 

The leaves were all to be invited to a 
great party, and must begin to put on their 
prettiest dresses, so as to be ready. 

The trees whispered to the boughs, and 
the boughs sent the news down the twigs, 
who told their little leaf children all about 
it. The leaves were delighted, for they 
wanted to frolic with each other, over the 
fields. The Maple tree decided to dress her 
leaf children in red, and the Cotton-wood, 
who was fond of yellow, had hers wear her 
favorite color. 

Some of the Oaks put on brown and red, 
and the next time the wind blew that way, 
he took many of the little leaves with him 
for a dance. A few Maple leaves decided 
they had rather stay on the tree and not 
change their gowns, so they clung tightly, 
until all the brother and sister leaves had 
gone off, and they were left alone. 

One of them thought of the flowers who 
had grown just beneath her tree, sending 
up fragrance and beauty, making every- 
thing glad; so she asked the remaining 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 13 

leaves if they would not go with her, to 
help cover them. 

Some of them decided to go, and the 
next time the wind came that way, nodded 
and beckoned to him to take them off. 

They covered the violet, while many of 
their little companions who were left, made 
the children glad with their rich, red colors. 

A dear little girl was looking for leaves 
and she found a great many, which she 
took to the kindergarten. They were 
placed upon a chart so the children could 
enjoy them in the Winter time. 

Autumn Leaves 

Old Mother Nature dyed her leaves 

In purple, red and brown, 
And cried to children as they passed, 

"How do you like my gown?" 

But 'ere the proud old tree could long, 

In this rich dress be clad, 
The cold North Wind came sweeping by, 

And what he did was sad ! 



14 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

For, bending bough and twig with might, 

He swept those leaves away; 
And soon in heaps upon the ground, 

In colors bright, they lay. 

But not in vain ! Their mission now 

Had only just begun. 
They hid the shivering flowers 

Who missed the Summer's sun. 

And children passing home from school, 

Would run around in glee ; 
And gather lovely Autumn leaves, 

As pleased as they could be. 

And there upon the ground some lay, 

'Til rains and Winter's snow 
Had changed them into rich leaf mould, 

To make our gardens grow. 

Not only those from lofty heights 
Can make the lone hearts glad. 

Though small and humble, like the leaves, 
We'll help the poor and sad. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 15 



Getting Ready for Winter 

"What are you doing?" asked Teddie, 
as he came home from school one after- 
noon in September, and saw Uncle George 
at work in the yard. "Getting ready for 
Winter/' answered Uncle. "Do all peo- 
ple have to get ready for the cold weath- 
er?" enquired his little nephew. "Yes," 
said Uncle George, "and all the animals, 
birds, and everything else as well. Sit 
down on that log and I will tell you about 
it." Teddie sat down, glad of a rest, for 
he had been running and was quite out of 
breath. He always ran home, because he 
was in such a hurry to get back to his dogs, 
chickens and rabbits, of which he was very 
fond; and they were fond of him, too, for 
he took such loving care of them, and 
always seemed to know what they needed 
each day to make them happy and keep 
them well. After Uncle had piled up a few 
more sticks of w r ood, he told the following 
story : 

"In the Summer time the sun's rays fall 
directly upon the earth, and we have warm 



16 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

weather; but in Winter the sun shines 
more obliquely upon the earth, and we 
have cold weather, very cold sometimes. 

"The people must be kept warm all Win- 
ter, and men must work in the dark mines, 
to get the coal for us to burn. 

"The trees which have been growing 
during the hot weather, make good fuel, 
but must first be cut down, sawed into 
pieces of stove length, and seasoned well 
I have been getting some of the large, long 
pieces, the right length for our stove ; and 
after they are well seasoned, we will store 
them in the cellar, out of the wet. 

"We must have kindling wood and coal 
in the cellar, and many kinds of vegetables, 
barrels of apples, cans of fruit and pre- 
serves, jell, pickles, and many things which 
must be gathered and prepared during the 
Summer, and early Fall. The farmer is 
also very busy with the harvest, and must 
store away hay and grains of all kinds in 
the barns and granaries. 

"The squirrels know how to prepare far 
Winter, too, and put away piles of nuts in 
their hollow trees. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 17 

"The birds get ready by going to the 
warm Southland, where their food can be 
easily obtained, and not buried by deep 
snows. 

"The caterpillars get ready by spinning 
their cocoons and taking their long Win- 
ter's sleep, ready to come out beautiful 
butterflies in the Spring. 

"The bees get ready by storing honey in 
their hives. When eating our honey, we 
must think of the bees, who stored it away 
so diligently during the Summer time, 
while the lovely flowers were in bloom. 

"Do you know that the carpenter is busy 
too? All the people are sending for him 
to come and put up their storm-doors and 
windows, to repair sheds and barns, and to 
hurry up the new houses being built. 

"If you look around, you will notice that 
every one is getting ready for the Winter 
season. 

"Grandma is knitting mittens and stock- 
ings for the children, and Mother is mak- 
ing new warm dresses and little coats. 

"That is all I have time to tell you now, 
but some other day I will tell you about a 
great many kinds of birds ; those who re- 



18 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

main with us all winter, and those who do 
not." 

'That was a fine story/' said Teddy, as 
he thanked Uncle George and ran away to 
play with the boys. 

The Carpenter 

A Morning Talk for the Kindergarten 

At this time of the year, when people are 
busy getting ready for Winter, the car- 
penter must be sent for, to take off our 
window screens and put on the storm win- 
dows and doors, so our homes will be com- 
fortable during the cold weather. 

All the unfinished homes are being hur- 
ried, for the people are anxious to get into 
them soon. 

"Can you tell me of some of the things 
the carpenter makes for us ?" "Sidewalks, 
pigeon-houses, barns and sheds." "Yes, 
and many other things. Now, let us see 
some of the tools he uses. What is this 
one?" "A hammer." "For what does he 
use it?" "To drive the nails in with." 
"And this?" "A plane, to make the rough 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 19 

boards smooth/' "How does he make the 
long boards shorter?" "With a saw." 

To-morrow you may each bring some- 
thing that is used by the carpenter, and we 
will make a carpenter's chart. Also bring 
pictures of him, working at his trade. 

Seeds 

In the Autumn, there are many little 
treasure houses to be stored away. 

Can you guess what they are? Yes, 
seeds of all kinds. 

They are very precious, as the baby 
plants lie sleeping within them. 

The gardener cares for his seeds, and 
keeps them in a dry place until Spring. 

Every Fall he must attend to this, that 
he may be ready in the Spring to make his 
garden. 

But there are many seeds that are not 
gathered at all. What becomes of them? 

Some are sent out by the wind and scat- 
tered everywhere. The dandelion and 
milkweed, with their feathery seeds, easily 
blown about, are springing up where we 
do not want them. 



20 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Here are some seeds of the maple and 
box elder trees. We see they have a wing 
which is thin and light, and the wind eas- 
ily blows them away. Some little boys call 
them kites. 

The sheep, with its coat of wool, also 
scatters the seeds. As he rubs against the 
fences and trees, they fall off, to spring up 
far from the places where they were raised. 

Little birds take seeds in their bills for 
food, and fly away, often dropping them. 
So we find they, too, scatter the seeds. 

We are going to make paper boxes this 
morning to hold the seeds you have 
brought. We will label each kind and stow 
them away in our cupboard until Spring, 
when we will have a flower bed made in our 
school yard, and every child will plant a 
few of his seeds. Each day we will go out 
and care for them, and watch them as they 
creep to the light. 

I once heard a story of a little seed who 
lay asleep in the earth, waiting for the 
warm Spring sun and rain to waken it. 

He kept thinking: "I wonder what I 
will be?" "I do not want to be a lily, for 
they are too white; nor a rose, for they 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 21 

have thorns ; nor a violet, for they are too 
small. 

"I am sure I will be the finest plant in 
the world, and have the most beautiful 
flowers of all." 

He awoke, at last, to find himself a weed. 

Little children are not like the plants. 
They can become what they want to be. 

If I want to raise morning glories, I 
must plant morning glory seed. 

If I want to raise radishes, I must plant 
radish seed. 

If a child wants to grow up good and 
lovable, he must sow good seeds (have 
good thoughts). If he is unselfish, agree- 
able and loving, he will grow that way. 

If he delights in doing wicked things, 
and in hurting others, he will become like 
the thorny plants, who hurt all who come 
in contact with them. 

Wouldn't it be much better to be like the 
beautiful blossoms that give joy to all ? 

What kind of a little seed are you going 
to be? 

Have you ever heard the song : 
'Then scatter seeds of kindness 
For our reaping by and by" ? 



22 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Ask your mothers to sing it to you when 
you go home. 

We will now make pretty borders and 
rosettes from some of these maple seeds. 




Maple Seeds 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 23 



The Walnut Tree 

Oh, large and noble walnut tree, 
With nuts so round and brown, 

When will you leave the branches high 
And come a tumbling down ? 

I watched you patiently for days, 
While sitting in your shade ; 

And dreamed of winter hours to come, 
And children happy made, 

By walnuts, large and sweet and ripe, 
Cracked by Grandfather dear. 

The walnuts which are hanging there 
Will children's hearts soon cheer. 



A Thanksgiving Talk 

The celebration of Thanksgiving is an 
old custom, as old as the human race. 

The Bible tells us of the "Feast of the 
Passover," which lasted seven days; six 
days of feasting, and on the seventh, a day 
of praises to the Lord. This feast com- 
menced when the corn was being cut. 



24 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Nations which had been blessed were to 
lend to those which had not been pros- 
pered, and those who had abundance were 
commanded to give of it to the poor. 

We read of a great Thanksgiving cele- 
bration in Holland as early as 1575, which 
was observed on account of their deliver- 
ance from war and other troubles. 

It was not like our 1 celebration of 
Thanksgiving, for they had carousing and 
feasting, entirely leaving out the religious 
exercises. 

Many hundred years ago, they had 
Thanksgiving day in Germany. They 
called it the "Grand Feast Day," and cele- 
brated it right after the harvest. 

When we want to have a celebration, we 
have a parade, and men dress in uniform, 
and wear caps with big feathers, and carry 
guns. So, on their feast day they had a 
parade, and men wore gay clothes. Some, 
seated on a load of hay, rode through the 
streets. The horses wore wreathes of 
flowers around their necks. When they 
came to the place where they were to have 
the feast, they had a dance around the load 
of hay. They roasted meat, and had a 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 25 

great feast, but they didn't have a turkey. 
Instead they had peacock. The turkey be- 
longed to America, which had not been 
discovered then. 

Finally, Columbus came over here from 
Spain. After a long voyage across the 
ocean, he discovered this land. Once, dur- 
ing the voyage, he turned the wrong way, 
but presently he saw some little land birds 
flying to the Southwest. He thought he 
would follow them. As a result, he landed 
in five days at an island called "San Salva- 
dor." He and his men were so glad "that 
they knelt on the ground and gave thanks 
to God." This might be considered the 
first Thanksgiving day in America. 

A short time after Columbus discovered 
America, some other men in Spain thought 
they would see what the new land was like. 
So they crossed the ocean and went farther 
into our country than Columbus did, and 
there they saw some Indians who were 
having a great feast. The Indians asked 
them to eat with them. They did so, and 
when they tasted some of the meat called 
"turkey," they found it was very different 
from anything they had ever eaten. When 



26 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

they returned home, they took some with 
them. Now it is used all over the world. 
When we are celebrating our Thanks- 
giving, the whole United States are ob- 
serving it also, for it is a day of National 
observance. The people go to church to 
thank God for his kindness and the bounti- 
ful harvests. In our kindergarten we learn 
to sing, "Father, in Heaven, we thank 
Thee." 

What Shall We Do Thanksgiving 

One lovely November morning, Miss 
Nellie, who was a kindergartner, had all of 
her little pupils march to the circle with 
their chairs, and in her morning talk, they 
learned much of their relationship to God 
and man, for she explained the custom of 
keeping Thanksgiving day sacred. I hap- 
pened to be a visitor, and this is what I 
heard her say: "Children, we all have 
something to be thankful for, have we 
not?" "Yes/' they replied, "many things." 
"Marion may name some of the things she 
is thankful for." Marion said, "dogs, good 
food, and clothes, papa, mama, and my lit- 
tle brother." "Yes, we should all thank 



NATUEE IN STORY AND VEESE. 27 

God for every good thing he gives us." 
All of the little ones told of many things 
for which they were thankful. They sang 
the following song : 

"Father, we thank Thee for the night, 
And for the pleasant morning light ; 
For rest, and food, and loving care, 
And all that makes the world so fair." 

They decided upon a lovely idea, which 
was to have a barrel in their kindergarten, 
and let each child bring something to put 
in it as a gift for the poor. Many could 
bring aprons, dresses, waists, and other 
things which they had outgrown. 

So the barrel was filled, and many a poor 
child made glad, by apples, oranges, and 
good things, which perhaps they had sel- 
dom tasted. 

Many received the first clothes they had 
ever had that were suitable for church 
wear. Thus we may all do good, not only 
on Thanksgiving day, but every day. 




28 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Happy Autumn Days 

The days are not melancholy 

In the Autumn of the year, 
For this time of happy harvest 

Brings to each of us good cheer. 

There is much to be provided 
For the good of hungry men, 

And what's grown and become ripened, 
Can be gathered in right then. 

We'll not grumble at the seasons, 

For each one of us must see 
How with wisdom the Creator, 

Thinks of you, and thinks of me. 

Then, let every one be thankful 
On the glad Thanksgiving Day, 

For the goodness of the Giver, 
We with gratitude can pay. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 29 



Kindergarten Baking Exercise 

We jolly little bakers 

With white caps on our heads, 
Can make you anything you wish, 

From cookies down to bread. 

We will roll our dough with skill, 
And shape you what you will. 

Whether cookies, tarts, or pies, 
You will find them very nice. 

Baking Song 

With our sleeves rolled up, 
And our aprons on, 

We are little bakers gay. 
See our pies and cakes, 
And our nice light bread! 

Oh, what a fine array ! 

Busy farmers plant, 
Busy millers grind, 

That we good white flour may use. 
We are ready now, 
And will make for you, 

Cookies, bread, or what you choose. 



30 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

In our oven hot 

We will put the dough, 

Taking care it shall not burn. 
Soon we'll pass some cakes, 
If you will but wait, 

And you'll see what we have learned. 

Apple Pie 

Mix a little flour, 

Water, salt and lard ; 
Roll it out, my little one, 

Roll it now, quite hard ! 

When the dough, so round, 

Has covered up the tin, 
Fill it with sliced apples 

And throw seasoning in. 

Then we make a cover, 

Of some more dough. 
Soon it's baked and ready. 

Children laugh and crow ! 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 31 



The Loaf of Bread 

"Daisy, come, go to the store for a loaf 
of bread [" called mama. 

The little girl came skipping in for the 
money, and was soon in the bakery. 

Everything smelled fresh and good, and 
she bought a nice loaf of bread, which she 
took home. 

After eating a hearty supper, she played 
quite a while, then went into the house to 
read. 

Presently, she was listening to the story 
of a loaf of bread, for it seemed to speak 
thus : 

"I was once a tiny wheat grain, who, 
with a bushel of others like myself, were 
purchased by Farmer Brown. He then 
planted us, and though I was glad to get 
out of the bag, I did not like the dark 
earth. 

"Soon the Spring rains fell, and I began 
to hope, for I somehow felt I might be able 
to leave -my dark prison, 



32 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

"My hopes ran so high, I began to swell, 
and actually sent up a tiny green shoot to 
greet the sun. It seemed as if the warm 
air and sunshine were drawing me up, 
while my roots kept growing deeper, and 
drank in the food I required to make me 
grow iato a beautiful plant. 

"I looked around. Up were springing 
all of my little companions, who had been 
in the bag with me; and we nodded to each 
other. 

"Time went on, and Farmer Brown was 
proud of his 'wheat field/ as he called it, 
and said 'he was to have a fine crop/ 

"After a while we were a field of yellow, 
ripened grain, and were gathered, 
threshed, and sold to the miller. 

"At his mill we were made into flour, 
and put into nice clean white sacks with 
bright letters painted on them. 

"We were then sold to a store, w r here we 
were soon disposed of to the people. 

"A nice lady bought the bag into which 
I was put, and the boy delivered me to her 
home. 

"I was emptied into a flour bin in her 
kitchen cabinet, and the next time she 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 33 

baked, I was made into a loaf of nice white 
bread. 

'They had the loaf, in which I now 
staid, for supper/' 

'Then how can you tell this story?" you 
ask, "if they had you for supper ?" 

"I will tell you. I happened to be in the 
crust, and the little girl who took my slice, 
did not like crusts ; so she hid me under the 
edge of her plate. 

'This was rather naughty of her, for 
her mama did not want her to be wasteful, 
and often told her of the many poor chil- 
dren who need food to eat. 

'There is no telling what will happen to 
me next, for here the maid comes to brush 
away the crumbs. So, good-b)/." 

Daisy sat up and rubbed her eyes, say- 
ing, "I will never throw away any more 
crusts." 




34 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Little Lillian Edna Blue 

Little Lillian Edna Blue 
Had to work the whole day through. 
She always did whatever told, 
'Though she was but ten years old. 

"Now/' said Lillian Edna Blue, 
"Please don't give me much to do. 
I get tired as well as the rest, 
And I always do my best." 

If an idle moment she 'had, 
'Twas considered very bad, 
For so much precious time to waste, 
And of childish pleasures taste. 

Lillian had a dream one night, 
Of a land both fair and bright, 
Where little children, dear and sweet, 
Have nothing to do — but eat. 

W'here nice plum-puddings grow on trees, 
And good honey from the bees ; 
Some cookies, candies, pies and fruit, 
Oh, how could they help but suit ! 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 35 

She thought the children gathered round, 
Eating goodies they had found; 
For they came tumbling off the tree, 
Piling in their laps, you see ! 

But as they all the feast begin, 

A great bear had to step in. 

They were so frightened that they fled, 

Leaving him the buttered bread. 

For, having chased them all away, 
Mr. Bear was now quite gay; 
And soon the feast, he in his might, 
Could pronounce "quite out of sight." 

Then next he looked around to see 
If he had not better flee. 
But this he found he could not do, 
And I tell you, he was blue; 

For, scampering through the woods once 

more, 
Came the children, just a score, 
To beat him with an ugly stick ! 
I am sure it made him sick. 



36 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

When little Lillian awoke, 
She found 'twas a "dreamed up" joke; 
For she alone lay on the mound. 
Not a Bear was there around, 

Except her own dear Teddy Bear 
Who was sleeping on a chair. 
"How innocent you look!" said she, 
'Twas not you who frightened me." 

She rubbed her eyes, and went to work, 
Saying, "I will never shirk. 
'Tis nicer to help mama bake 
Than to give the trees a shake, 

And scamper off to pick up pies, 
Cookies too, and all things nice. 
Til make the things I ought to make, 
And not be afraid to bake." 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 37 



The Squirrel Family 

In a large, hollow tree in the forest, lived 
two squirrels, with their family of little 
ones, consisting of Budge and Betty. 

There was no tree as nice as the one 
they lived in, and no family any happier 
than theirs. 

Budge and Betty chased each other up 
and down among the branches, played hide 
and seek in the leaves, and were as happy 
and free from care as any two little squir- 
rels you ever saw. 

They were acquainted with the birds 
who sang to them from the trees, and 
picked up the kernels of nuts which they 
dropped. 

They made friends with the rabbits and 
gophers, who were their neighbors; but 
the delight of their hearts was to play with 
their cousin squirrels, who lived near by. 

All summer they ran and played and 
grew very strong. 

When the cooler days came, they were 
surprised to see the leaves which had been 



38 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

such a beautiful green, change to colors of 
red, yellow and gold. What did it all 
mean ? Budge looked at Betty to see if her 
fur was not turning red ; and Betty looked 
at Budge to see if he was not changing to 
another color. It seemed as if the entire 
world was changing. 

The chestnut burrs were being opened 
by the frost, and all the nuts were falling. 

Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel were busy every 
day, gathering nuts for the Winter, for 
they had lived long enough to know that it 
would soon be cold, with deep snow, and 
no chance to find any food, except what had 
been stored away in their pantry. 

To provide for four little hungry 
mouths was no small task. They wasted 
no time, but cold weather came much soon- 
er than they had expected; and Mr. Squir- 
rel became worried for fear they would 
not have sufficient food laid away before 
snow came. So he called Budge to him and 
said : "Now, Budge, you are growing fast, 
and are so strong and frisky for play, that 
I think you should use some of your 
strength in helping us lay up food for 
Winter. You are much stronger than 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 39 

Betty, and I dare say, even she can do a 
little to help." 

Budge, who had never been taught to 
work, thought it pretty hard to be called 
upon; but he told Betty, and they set to 
work, carrying in nuts. Betty worked all 
day, only stopping now and then to rest; 
but Budge grew very tired before he had 
put away enough nuts for one meal for 
himself. Then he lay down and rested. 

The next day was cloudy and cold, and 
the squirrels all thought it was going to 
snow before night; so they went to work 
with a will. Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel said: 
"If we all work hard, we will, before dark, 
have enough nuts to last all winter." 

They all started in search of nuts, and 
were so busy they never stopped to speak 
to each other. 

It was some time before they noticed 
that Budge had disappeared and was no- 
where around. 

The rest worked all the harder then, for 
there was one less to work, and four to eat. 

Budge, who was attracted by some 
squirrels who were playing near by, ran 



40 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

off to have a frolic with them ; and after a 
game of tag among the leaves, he started 
home, but was caught in a trap which some 
boys had set. 

Poor Budge ! He was so frightened he 
could hardly breathe; and when the boys 
said, "Let's take him home and make a pet 
of him/' he thought that must be some- 
thing terrible, and shook like a leaf. 

"Now, I will be made into a pet/' he 
said, "when I might have stayed with 
mother and helped her." 

The boys soon reached their home, 
which was a small frame cottage, with no 
trees around it. Budge thought he would 
die if he had to live there. It was so un- 
homelike ! 

It grew dark, and the boys, having no 
cage, fixed a box for their pet, thinking it 
would do until they had time to get a nice 
cage. 

Budge lay down on some straw in the 
corner and pretended to sleep, but was all 
the time thinking of his cozy nest in his 
tree home in the forest. 

In the meantime, his father, mother and 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 41 

sister Betty were wondering where he 
could be, and wishing for his safe return. 

All night he slept in the box, poor, little 
frightened Budge, too scared to know that 
he might easily have escaped from such a 
dilapidated abode as the one the boys had 
prepared. When they awoke in the morn- 
ing, the first thing they did was to visit the 
box; and finding it as they left it, and the 
squirrel seemingly contented, they said: 
"We will use the box a few days until 
father comes home and gets a new cage for 
us." 

Their sister insisted that they must not 
keep the pet, as she wanted the fur for a 
collar. 

Budge began to wish he was away from 
there, and made up his mind to try to get 
out. So when all the family had retired, he 
set to work nibbling a small hole in one 
corner of the box, being careful to cover it 
over with straw when any one was 
around. All that night he worked, and all 
the next day, as the family had gone away 
for a visit. 

By the middle of the night he could push 



42 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

his way out, and away he ran to meet his 
family in the woods. 

It was dark, cold, and snow was falling. 
He thought of the nuts, and had visions of 
long, cold days, with nothing to eat, be- 
cause he had not minded his parents. 

Perhaps it would have been better for 
him to have stayed with the boys and let 
them have him for the collar. 

He was sure his sister Betty would be 
ashamed of him now, and would never 
want to see him again. 

Once or twice he turned back, but at last 
made up his mind to stand the rebuke he 
deserved, like a brave little squirrel. 

He arrived at the tree at last and entered 
the room where his mother, father, and 
sister were all having breakfast. 

They were greatly surprised to see 
Budge, and anxious to hear his story. 

All were glad to have him back once 
more, and invited in the neighbor squirrels 
and cousins to have a great feast in his 
honor. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 43 

Budge is very happy now, and not a bit 
lazy, for he thinks it better to spend part 
of the time working. 

Every Autumn finds him the most in- 
dustrious squirrel in the forest; and with 
nuts to spare for a large squirrel banquet. 

The First Gift Balls 

RED AND ORANGE 

My ball is a little apple, 

So red and round and ripe, 
And mine is a juicy orange, 

So pretty and so bright. 

YELLOW AND GREEN 

Mine is a yellow butterfly, 
Who flits among the flowers ; 

And this is little Poll Parrot, 
The talking bird of ours. 

BLUE AND VIOLET 

Mine is a bit of bright blue sky, 
From out the heavens blue, 

And this is little violet, 
All wet with morning dew. 



44 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Little Balls As Fruits 

Six little balls 

Hanging on the trees ! 
Six little balls, 

Swinging in the breeze ! 

Red, lovely ball, 

Hanging on the tree, 
Just drop this way, 

Apple ripe, for me. 

Round, orange ball 

Called to little Pearl, 
"I'm an orange! 

Eat me, little girl !" 

Nice yellow ball, 

Swinging in the shade, 
You're a lemon, 

Good for lemonade. 

Now our green ball, 

Is an apple sour. 
Bad boy took him ! 

In pain for an hour ! 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 45 

See the blue balls ! 

We must all have some, 
For they will be 

Our delicious plums. 

Rich purple ball, 

Beautiful to see, 
Fall right down here, 

Be a grape for me. 

The Six Balls 

My little red ball 

Is like clover 
That blooms the grassy 

Meadows over. 

Mine, an orange ball, 

Like fruit that's ripe, 
Or the sunset clouds, 

So fair and bright. 

My yellow ball is 

A butterfly, 
Who, to the cocoon 

Has said "good-by." 



46 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

This, like a parrot 

So green, can fly, 
But it can not talk 

If it should try. 

Here is one that's blue. 

Do look and see 
How like May's blue eyes 

It tries to be ! 

This last ball is like 

The violet, 
And in the pansies 

Too, it is met. 

The Second Gift 

My second gift house 
Is made of hard wood. 

The children in it 
Are all very good. 

Move the sliding door, 
And then take a peep. 

Ah ! there they all are, 
So soundly asleep ! 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 47 

We will ask them now 

To come out and play, 
Right on our table, 

Said Robbie and May. 

They looked in the box 

With wide open eyes, 
Sphere, cube and cylinder, 

The children then spy ! 

Three dear little friends, 
All made of smooth wood, 

All very happy, 

And most always good. 

The sphere was quite glad 

To come out and roll 
Like any other 

Dear little round ball; 

But lazy cube said, 

"I prefer to rest 
Right in the corner 

Of my little nest." 



48 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Then cried cylinder, 
"I can roll and slide. 

Brother sphere and I 
Could help if we tried 

To push you along, 
Since you cannot run ! 

So come on and play, 
And enjoy the fun." 

So little cube crept 
From out of her box ; 

And with help she slid 
As still as a fox. 

They chased each other 

Until tired of play, 
Then, in their snug house 

They were put away. 

The house was then closed, 
All firmly and tight ; 

And the dear children 

Wished them a "good night. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 49 



My Cat 

I have a little pet at home, 

And when her fur you're stroking, 
She sings a song that's very sweet 

And not at all provoking. 

She purrs so loudly, I'm afraid 
You might think she was a bird. 

No doubt, of the little cushions 
On her four feet, you have heard. 

She wears them so little mousie 
Will never hear her coming; 

But if he feels her strong, sharp claws, 
He will not think her cunning. 

If she could talk, I think she'd say : 
"I'm so glad I'm not like boys, 

With heavy shoes upon their feet, 
Filling the house with their noise." 

Now can you guess who my pet is ? 

Why, it is my cat so good. 
I mean to always treat her well 

And will see that she has food. 



50 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



A Little Rosa Bonheur 

A little girl was told 

Of Rosa Bonheur's fame, 

And of how she studied 
The animals so tame, 

Before she tried to paint 
Their pictures true to life; 

And in her industry 

She soon had pictures rife, 

Which sold for great prices 

All over the nation ; 
Those wonderful paintings 

Of her own creation. 

So she told her kittie 

That she believed that she 

Would get books about her, 
And study carefully. 

After she had read books 
On the subject of cats, 

She had puss pose for her 
And made a picture that 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



51 



I'm sure you'd think lifelike 
For it looked like a cat. 

Her brother Ted bought it, 
What do you think of that ? 




PART TWO 



WINTER 




Howard sat down on the Sled 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 55 

Jack Frost 

It was a November night, and a wee lit- 
tle girl had been tucked snugly in her 
warm bed by her mother's loving hands; 
and her lips had felt the sweet kiss, as they 
bade each other "good night." 

The room was comfortable, for a bright 
fire glowed on the hearth, and the clock, 
ticking loudly, was all the sound to be 
heard. 

A little later, and all in the house had 
retired for the night. 

The moon shone brightly, and the air 
was becoming colder out of doors, for 
North Wind and Jack Frost had decided 
to go out together for a little fun. 

North Wind tugged at a man's hat, and 
sent it flying away. He then rattled the 
windows and doors, as if to waken the 
sleepers. 

Jack Frost went to work in a more quiet 
way, and when the little girl awoke next 
morning, the first thing she spied was the 
beautiful window-panes, on which Jack 
had left his work, as fine as lace. There 



56 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

were pictures of trees, ferns, leaves, and 
mountains. 

When she tried to take a drink from her 
little cup, she saw that a great joke had 
been played on her, for the water had been 
turned to ice. "Mama/' she cried, "do 
come and see the window, and here is the 
water all frozen." "Get right back into 
bed," said mama, "for it is very cold. Jack 
Frost was out last night." "I don't like 
him," said the little girl. Then her mama 
told her that we would have no sleigh- 
rides, coasting, or ice cream if it was not 
for Jack Frost. "Then I guess I will like 
him after all," she replied. 

What the Coal Said 

The wind was howling and whistling 
without, and driving the snow into great 
banks ; but within, all was quiet and com- 
fortable. 

Before the warm fire in the grate, sat 
three little children, who had not noticed 
that it was growing late, so intent were 
they upon the stories they were telling. 
At last one little curly head was seen to 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE 57 

bump against the back of the dhair, and 
the eyelids closed over the blue eyes. The 
others, not noticing her, went on with 
their stories, and pretty soon, in came 
mama to tell them it was time to go to 
bed. 

She gave Bessie, the one who was 
asleep, a shake to waken her; and Bess 
rubbed her eyes, and said: "Oh. mama, 
let me tell you the funny story the Coal 
was just telling me!" 

"All right," said mama, taking her on 
her lap. This is the story as she repeated 
it: 

"You children have been talking, and 
never gave me a chance. 

"I suppose you think a piece of black 
coal, put in the fire to burn, has nothing 
to tell; but I know the most wonderful 
story about myself — just zvonderfuL 

"I am really very old, older than you 
think. I lived years ago, before there 
were any people on the earth, no little 
boys and girls, animals or flowers. 

"Then I did not look as I do now. My 
brother and sister lumps of coal around 
me were once trees, ferns, or some kind 



58 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

of tropical plants, growing to a great 
height. The sun shone with intense heat, 
and our branches and leaves drank in all 
the sunshine they could. 

"After a time, the sun was hidden be- 
hind the clouds. The rain fell and the 
ground became so soft it actually sank — 
until the trees were carried from view. 
Then the wind blew, and the fiery sun 
shone out again, and dried the soft earth. 

"Other tropical plants grew up and 
waved their branches to and fro in the 
sunshine; and they, too, sank and were 
hidden from view. 

This period was called the 'Age of 
Carbon/ In the earth, these plants were 
subjected to great heat and pressure, and 
formed what was called 'coal! 

"Did you say that you could not believe 
it? Well, it has been proven to be true, 
from the fossil remains found in the 
mines. In clay beds, at the bottoms of 
mines, pictures of roots were found; and 
in the clay roofs, were found pictures of 
leaves, and ferns, which plainly told the 
story, and showed that some of the trees 
must have been very tall. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 59 

"In the coal itself, impressions of ferns 
and various plants have been seen. There 
are two kinds of coal, the anthracite or 
hard coal, and the bituminous or soft coal. 

"The hard coal, in its formation, re- 
ceived greater pressure and heat. It gives 
out scarcely any flame and does not burn 
so quickly. 

"The soft coal gives a bright flame, as 
oils and gases are contained in it in large 
quantities. It received less heat and 
pressure than hard coal." 

"Now," said the wise piece of coal, 
"when you look at us, you must think first 
of sunshine, then of trees, then of coal. 

"If you sit by a wood fire on a cold 
night, do not forget that every stick of 
wood you are burning has sunbeams 
packed away in it. The tree to which the 
stick of wood once belonged, set all of his 
leaves to work to catch sunbeams and 
store them away in the limbs, to form 
fuel for our future use. Just think how 
many of the sun's rays were stowed away 
in each lump of coal you burn! 

"When I lay in the ground, I thought 
I never would get out of the dark prison 



60 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

and be of use in the world; but at last a 
great shaft was sunk, until it reached the 
coal bed where I lay. 

"I was very happy when the men, each 
with a little light on his cap, came down 
into the dark mine, to work with picks 
and mine the coal which was to keep the 
children warm." 

"That is all of it," said Bessie, "for you 
came and shook me, and the coal stopped 
talking." 

"That was a very good story, and a 
true one," said mama. "We will let her 
dream again some time, won't we chil- 
dren?" 

Mending Day 

Mother was doing the mending, 
And putting the garments down 

In neat and even little piles 
In the basket large and brown. 

Each garment, as she was mending, 

Seemed its own story to tell. 
First, came a dress for her darling, 

Her own careless little Nell. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 61 

Had she not had the misfortune 
To get caught on an old nail, 

I fear you never would have heard 
Of this sad yet truthful tale. 

The next, a little blouse of blue, 

For John, so lively and gay, 
Who met with many sudden tears, 

When with the children at play. 

Button- waists minus the buttons! 

Her addition problem's soon done. 
She places them in the basket 

And picks up another one. 

So on and on she keeps mending, 

'Til all are as good as new. 
In closets and drawers she stores them, 

The good mother kind and true. 

Oh, what would we do without her, 
When she does so much for us ? 

No wonder the children love her, 
And make such a stir and fuss. 

She is most devoured by kisses, 
For this household angel true, 

Liveth not for herself alone, 
But does the good she can do. 



62 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



A Snowflake Story 

One beautiful Winter day, the large, 
white snowflakes were falling. 

The children were already clapping 
their hands, crying with delight, for it 
meant to them, snowmen, snowballs, 
sleigh rides, coasting, and many other 
Winter games which can be played in the 
snow. 

Little Howard ran to the shed to drag 
out his nice new sled, which had been 
stored there. 

This was the first snowstorm of the 
year, and here was a chance to use it. 

The flakes now fell faster and faster, 
and one very large one of beautiful shape, 
fell on the bright sled. 

Howard sat down on the sled and looked 
at it carefully and with great interest. 

His nature work at school had taught 
him to examine even the smallest of the 
beautiful things God has given us. 

Howard almost forgot that he intended 
to go coasting, as the Flake said : 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 63 

"Well, I must say, this swift traveling 
makes me dizzy. I am very tried/' How- 
ard was so startled, he almost fell off the 
sled, but he kept quiet for fear of stopping 
the little frosty voice. 

After a short rest the snowflake became 
more friendly than ever, and continued: 
"I wonder, little boy, if you have ever 
taken as long a journey as the one I just 
took?" 

Howard asked the Flake, "if he had 
been up very high?" 

"Well, I should think so/' replied the 
Snowflake. "If you care to listen, I will 
tell you the story of my life." 

Howard gladly listened, for he wanted 
to know all about the snow he was going 
to ride over. 

"Long ago," said the Flake, "I lived in 
a large place called the Ocean. There 
were all sorts of fine fishes, seaweeds, 
sponges, shells, and many things besides." 

"I was called 'Aqua/ for aqua, you 
know, means water, and that was what I 
was when I lived there. 

"I used to play and splash with my little 
brother and sister waterdrops, and have 



64 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

good times. Being very happy, I was in 
no hurry to have the sunbeams take me 
up to cloudland, as our Mother Ocean 
had said they would, in time. 

"But one day, when playing with my 
little friends, I felt myself lifted up, and 
felt ever so queer. 

"I could see, by looking at my brothers 
near me, that they were changing to 
vapor, and rising quite fast. I knew I 
was doing the same, and before long, was 
up so high that I dared not look down at 
the earth beneath me. We were blown 
by the wind, now here, now there, and 
finally came close together, forming what 
people called 'clouds/ That was long 
ago, when I was quite young. I remained 
in the clouds a long time, it seemed to me, 
and the wind blew them into all sorts of 
beautiful shapes. 

"Sometimes we journeyed so high that 
I grew very cold. During the night the 
clouds had a discussion to decide what to 
do with us. The largest cloud, who 
seemed to be commander, declared we 
must be dropped, as we were getting 
quite heavy. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 65 

"We almost turned blue at the thought 
of being dropped, oh, ever so far !" 

"Pretty soon, something icy cold struck 
us, and gave us all a white color, and 
made us shiver. 

"I expected a dreadful fall, but we all 
came down so quietly and gently that no 
one knew we were on our way. 

"We do not all look alike. Some of us 
are nearly round, some star-shaped, and 
other curious forms. 

"I don't think I can live much longer, 
as I feel weak and can scarcely speak!" 

Howard, who had been strangely quiet 
and interested, looked closely and saw the 
snowflake melting. In place of it, there 
stood a large, round tear-drop. 

His dark eyes grew rounder as he 
rubbed them, and he didn't even speak to 
his mother, who came to call him to sup- 
per. 

Little Snowflakes 

Welcome, little snowflakes, 

In your dresses white ! 
You covered field and vale 

As you fell last night. 



66 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Welcome, little fairies; 

For you dress the earth, 
Covering up its blackness, 

Bringing children mirth. 

Without you, no snowman, 

And the sleigh-rides, too. 
Darling little snowflakes ! 

How we all love you. 

Story of the Christ Child 

Long ago, in a far off country, some 
Shepherds were in the fields, caring for 
their flocks of sheep by night. 

As they sat talking and watching, sud- 
denly they saw a bright light, and in the 
glory of the light, an Angel. They were 
quite frightened, but the Angel said: 
"Fear not, I have good news for you, and 
for all the people in the world. There was 
born this day, in Bethlehem, a babe who 
is to be a Saviour. His name is Christ 
the Lord. You will find him lying in a 
manger/' 

Then the Angel told the Shepherds 
which way to go to find the wonderful 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 67 

child, and they heard singing, which was 
beautiful, for there were many Angels 
who had come to bring the good tidings. 
They sang: "Glory to God in the highest, 
and on earth, peace, good-will toward 
men/' 

Then the Angels went back to Heaven, 
and the Shepherds said, "Let us go to 
Bethlehem and see if this is true." 

So they set out in haste, until they came 
to the place where the babe was, with his 
mother. They did not find him in a fine 
house, for the houses were all full ; but he 
was in a place called a "stable," and his 
cradle was a manger. 

Then the Shepherds repeated what the 
Angels had told and sung, and the people 
were filled with wonder. The mother of 
the babe thought about what it all meant. 

The Shepherds went back to their work, 
singing and praising God as they went. 

There were other people who came to 
find Jesus. 

On the night the Angels sang their 
song, some wise men, in a far ofif country, 
saw the bright light in the sky. It seemed 
like a beautiful star, and as they looked, 



68 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

it moved on and on, until it seemed to be 
showing them the way to go. 

So the Wise Men followed the star, 
until by-and-by, it stood quite still. Then 
they found they had come to the place 
where the baby Jesus was. 

When they saw the little Jesus, they 
laid gifts of gold and other good things 
at his feet, and bowed their heads in 
prayer. 

This was the first Christmas, and these 
were the first Christmas gifts anybody 
ever gave. 

Christmas Welcome 

Welcome, friends, and "Merry Christ- 
mas/' 

To each one we gladly call! 
Welcome to our happy schoolroom — 

Welcome, welcome, to you all! 

We are just right glad you found us, 
And we'll speak for you, and sing. 

We will tell you of the Christ-Child 
Who was sent to be our King. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 69 

Welcomes rang through every Nation 
Christmas day, when He was born. 

Angels' voices sweetly echoed 
On that happy Christmas morn. 

For the blessed Christ-Child Baby, 

In the manger far away, 
Came to make the whole world happy 

On that joyful Christmas Day. 

Santa Claus' Helper 

When from the sky dear Mother Nature 
Is throwing snowflakes down, 

Up in his home, among his playthings, 
Old Santa sits him down; 

And at his list he keenly glances 

To see which girls and boys 
Have been real good since last he saw 
them, 

And which deserve most toys. 

His list is long, but all the numbers 

Of houses soon he knows! 
He packs the baskets full of good things, 

Then in his sleigh he goes. 



70 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

He cracks his whip, and on he hurries 
To please each darling child; 

And cares not he for wintry weather 
Nor craves for summer mild. 

But what is this? A tiny newsboy, 

(No home or shelter he) ! 
Has sunk exhausted on the pavement, 

As cold as he can be ! 

Old Santa, then, in just a twinkling, 

The little one espied, 
And in his sleigh he quickly took him, 

And gave the lad a ride. 

All wrapped in furs, he soon in comfort, 

Could sing in childish glee, 
For, although he had seen eight summers, 

For - him, no Christmas Tree, 

Or Santa Claus with lovely presents, 
And goodies from Saint Nick ! 

I'm sure that Santa quickly guessed it. 
He piled the presents thick! 

And such a happy little newsboy, 

For Santa took him home 
To be his helper, up in toyland. 

No more he had to roam. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE, 71 



The New Year Talk 

The New Year has come, and how glad 
we are. 

He was ushered in with ringing of bells 
and blowing of whistles, and every one is 
glad to have a New Year in which to grow 
and learn. 

We can look back over our past mis- 
takes and improve upon them. We will 
resolve to grow three ways — larger, bet- 
ter and wiser. 

This is the day for everyone to turn 
over a new leaf and begin on a clean 
white page to make a new and better 
record. 

We must decide what kind of a record 
we really want, and try to do our best. 

Then let us all be glad and wish every 
one we see a "Happy New Year." 



72 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Little New Year 

Who comes sliding o'er the ice? 
Tis the little New Year nice. 
He has come a while to stay 
While the children with him play. 

They'll enjoy his ice and snow, 
And will hate to see him go. 
Now, hurrah for all the fun 
As we frolic, every one ! 

Abraham Lincoln 

Abraham Lincoln, like Washington, 
was born in February. 

We always think of these two great 
men this month, and love to celebrate 
their birthdays because they were brave, 
truthful and honest. 

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 
and lived until 1865. 

Although he had but meager oppor- 
tunities for education, yet he studied by 
himself and was very fond of books. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 73 

He wanted to study all of the time, and 
take his books with him when he went to 
work, that he might read when resting. 

His stepmother was very kind, and al- 
though his father opposed so much read- 
ing and studying both day and night, she 
encouraged him, and he was allowed to 
read whenever he liked and until he was 
ready to stop. 

He had but few books, but they were 
the best to be obtained at that time. The 
Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, Robinson Cru- 
soe and Aesop's Fables he read until late at 
night, by the poor light of the fire. Very 
early in the morning he arose to study 
again. 

It was said that he borrowed every 
book in that country for fifty miles 
around. 

A History of the United States and 
Weems's Life of Washington greatly 
pleased him, and influenced his political 
career later. 

He not only read what others had writ- 
ten, but he was always writing, trying to 
express their meaning in his own manner. 



74 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

He would scribble on anything, a piece 
of board, a shovel, or bit of cardboard, 
or anything he could find, only so he could 
jot down his ideas. 

When ploughing, he would take a book 
from his pocket occasionally, glance at 
some favorite topic, then close it and go 
on. 

His work was a pleasure to him, for his 
mind was active, and seemed to lift him 
above the common clod with which he 
was dealing unto higher ideals. 

While the plough was making the fur- 
row in the ground, the thoughts of the 
author he was studying, ploughed their 
way into his mind. 

At night he often lay awake trying to 
express the same ideas in his own lan- 
guage. This self-education made him a 
clear thinker and speaker; also a great 
writer, and he was considered a very en- 
tertaining bright man of the time in which 
he lived. 

He had less than one entire year of 
schooling in his life, so we see he was a 
self-made man. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 75 

He was a great lover of Nature and 
appreciated the flowers and trees. The 
birds and animals found in him a friend 
who cared for and petted them. 

He was once on his way to go to an im- 
portant meeting when he saw, in the road, 
a little bird's nest with young birds in it. 
Although in a great hurry, he left his 
horse and climbed the tree to replace the 
little nest. 

At an early age he did a man's work 
and was unusually strong. 

When they settled in Illinois, he helped 
cut down the trees and make the logs 
from which their little log house was to 
be built. 

He was not afraid to work, and any 
boy who is not afraid of hard work and 
study, is going to amount to something. 

We all know how he became President 
of the United States. 

When you are older you will study the 
life of this great man, who made such a 
record for honesty that he was called: 
"Honest Old Abe." 



76 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Our Flag 

Of the flags that I have seen 
Of many kinds and every hue, 

There is none that's half so grand 
As our own dear red, white and blue. 

Then wave our flag of freedom! 

Our banner for truth and the right. 
As it floats o'er land and sea 

We are proud of our colors bright. 

Soft breezes float it on high, 

While heaven smiles down from above, 
As our bright banner proclaims 

We're a Nation of peace and love. 

Let us proudly wave our flag ! 

For it tells of battles won, 
And of our fight for freedom 

For each brave American. 

Hurrah for our country's flag! 

Hurrah for the red, white an d blue! 
Red is for love, the blue is truth, 

White in purity waves for you. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 77 



George Washington 

George Washington was born the 226 
day of February, 1732, and that is why I 
must tell you about him today. 

His birthday will soon be here. If he 
were still living, he would be 180 years old 
the 22d day of this month. 

He was a good little boy, who loved his 
mother very much; and although he lived 
so many years ago, when there were no 
kindergartens in our country, nor very 
good schools, yet he tried hard to learn a 
great deal. 

His mother had taught him to improve 
his time; and he minded her, because he 
loved her and knew she was always right. 

Was it any wonder he grew up to be a 
brave and good boy; and became a good 
man? 

He was very tall and strong when he 
became a young man, and could lift (all 
alone), a heavy tent which it took several 
men usually to lift, and throw it into a 
wagon. 



78 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

He was one of our best Generals, and 
became the first President of the United 
States. 

George Washington was always right 
on time, when a boy — never late to school 
or church; and when he grew up, he was 
always punctual about everything he did. 

If he engaged to meet Congress at noon, 
he was always at the door at twelve. He 
dined at four o'clock; and if others were 
invited in, dinner went on just the same, at 
the appointed hour. If any came late, he 
said, "Gentlemen, we are punctual here/ 5 

He tried to be polite, and liked to have 
everybody else be. 

It was he who wrote the "Rules for Be- 
havior/' which all children should learn 
and practice. 

As you all know how truthful he was, I 
will not tell you the story of his hatchet 
and the cherry tree. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 79 



Brave Washington 

Oh, Washington, we honor thee ; 

For among the brave you stood, 
Caring for your country nobly, 

Living only for the good. 

When a boy, you always minded 
Your dear mother kind and true ; 

So you grew up strong and noble, 
As the good boys always do. 

And your father was so happy, 
For the truth you always spoke, 

Not a lie your lips escaping, 
No — not even for a joke. 

So you kept the laws of country, 
Of the home, and of the schools, 

And you gave to little children 
All those fine behavior rules. 

We will study them, endeavoring 
To become polite, like thee ; 

But there's one thing we'll remember ! 
How you cut the cherry tree! 



80 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



What Became of the Teapot 

Two little girls, Mabel and Alice, lived 
in the country with their parents, in a 
splendid farm house. 

They used to romp through the house in 
winter, and play hide and seek, there were 
so many rooms and closets that made good 
hiding places. 

In a large cupboard, mama used to keep 
a great many of her choice pieces of china, 
and some old-fashioned relics, which she 
considered too valuable to use, as they 
could not be replaced if broken. 

One day the children had been playing 
and having great fun, when their mother 
who sat in a room up stairs, heard a noise. 

She waited to see if the girls would 
come up and tell her what they had done. 
Soon Alice came running up, crying, "Oh, 
mama, I have broken your teapot — the 
one you thought so much of !" 

"I didn't mean to, but you see, I went 
into the cupboard to hide, and you told us 
never to go in there, but I didn't mind 
you." 



NATURE IN STORY A^D VERSE. 81 

"You must remember," said mama, 
"that I also told you that little girls who do 
not mind will see a great deal of trouble. 
Come, let us go and see what you have 
done!" 

They went down stairs, and found 
Mabel picking up the pieces, trying to see 
if she could fit them together so it could be 
mended. 

"It is no use," said mama, upon seeing 
what she was doing, "for it is too badly 
broken to ever be mended. The pieces are 
very small!" 

"What will we do with it?" Alice in- 
quired. 

"Just throw it out in the back lot on the 
ashes," replied mama. 

So she swept up the pieces, carried the 
dustpan out and emptied it where her 
mother had told her to. 

No sooner were the fragments thrown 
out than Speckle, the old rooster, came run- 
ning up and began picking among them. 

Alice saw he was actually swallowing 
some of the fine pieces, and was much 
alarmed. 



82 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

She ran to the house and told her mama, 
who only laughed at her and explained that 
chickens need gravel, bits of crockery, and 
such things, to help them to chew their 
food. 

"Well!" said Alice, "I should think it 
would kill him !" 

"I will explain/' replied mama, "the use 
of the gravel or crockery. 

"They have no teeth to chew their food 
fine, ready for digestion ; but inside of them 
are gizzards, or little tough bags, which 
hold the food after they swallow it. 

"There needs to be something hard, like 
gravel or bits of crockery, to grind the food 
as the gizzard squeezes it. 

"When I was a little girl, my little 
brother and I pounded up all the pieces of 
broken dishes, and threw them to the chick- 
ens, who were glad to get them." 

"We will do that, and then the teapot 
will not be wasted, after all," said Alice. 

Away ran the little girls, and a few min- 
utes later, you might have seen them 
pounding the broken teapot into fine 
pieces on a large flat stone, while the 




& 



* 



r 



77ie Z,/tf/e Children love to read these Messages of Nature 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 83 

chickens scrambled for the bits thrown to 
them. 

That is what became of the teapot! 

Modern Eve's Dress 

The Bible relates how 

In the days of yore, 
Our dear wise Mother Eve 

Very proudly wore 

Her beautiful leaf-dress ; 

But if here today 
A silk dress she could wear 

In colors real gay. 

The silkworm we would feed 

On mulberry leaves, 
'Till the soft strands of silk 

He gallantly weaves. 

Enough for a fine dress, 
These workers, with skill, 

Would in their industry, 
Soon furnish the mill, 



84 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Where silk cloth and silk thread 

For dear modern Eve, 
The looms, in a hurry, 

Would skilfully weave. 

So the leaves of the trees 

In roundabout way, 
Are worn by fair maidens 

In our modern day. 

A Morning Talk About Cloth 

WOOL 

Children, what kind of a morning is 
this ? Yes, a very cold morning. What did 
you like to wear? Overcoats, mittens, 
warm caps, and heavy suits and dresses are 
mentioned. 

Of course we must dress warm when old 
Winter is here in earnest, to pinch our fin- 
gers and toes. 

Of what are your caps and mittens 
made? That is right, of wool. Where do 
we get the wool? From the sheep, who is 
our little friend and helper. 

A boy once told me he thought it cruel 
to take the wool from the sheep; but all 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 85 

Winter, when he needed it to keep him 
warm, it was growing very thick. 

When Spring came, it was not so com- 
fortable for him, and in the hot Summer 
time, he wanted to get rid of it, and be cool 
again. 

He soon finds that the farmer is his 
friend, and enjoys being washed, and hav- 
ing his wool cut off with the big shears. 

This wool is sent to the mill to be made 
into cloth, yarn, and beautiful carpets, 
draperies and rugs for our homes ! 

Grandma knits the yarn into mittens for 
her little grandchildren. 

Of what kind of cloth is John's coat 
made? Lucy's leggins? My dress? 

Do you think we could do without wool- 
en clothes for Winter? 

Tomorrow you may bring any other 
kinds of cloth you can think of. 

SILK 

Here we are this morning, with samples 
of all kinds of cloth. 

Children, what is this piece Mary has 
brought? "Silk." What is made from 



86 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

silk? Dresses, ties, gloves, handkerchiefs 
and many things are mentioned. 

Do we get the silk from the sheep? 
Where do we get it? What do the little 
silkworms feed upon? Some day we will 
send for some silkworms, and you can then 
observe them day by day, care for them, 
and watch them work. 

There are plenty of mulberry leaves to 
be found near by, and we will feed them 
and watch the little workers fasten them- 
selves to twigs or leaves, by coarse threads, 
which they spin. They then curl up, and 
spin very fine silk threads all over their 
bodies. Soon they are inside their cocoons. 
The cocoon consists of three distinct lay- 
ers of silk. The first is loose and soft, and 
can not be used by the silk manufacturer ; 
the second is closer, and the third is still 
finer, and glued tightly together. 

The cocoons must be watched carefully, 
and the silk wound off before the egress of 
the moth from its aurelian state. 

We can tell when the caterpillar has 
passed into this state by shaking the 
cocoon, as the aurelia, from its hardened 
texture, will rattle. Then it is time to wind 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 87 

off the silk. This must be done before the 
chrysalis eats through the cocoon and 
spoils the silk. The cocoon is placed in a 
cup of warm water, after the loose silk on 
the outside has been removed, and then the 
end is taken, and the continuous filament 
is wound on a piece of card. It is now 
ready to be sent to the factory to be made 
into pretty ribbons and ties for you. 

At first, China was the only country 
where silk was made, and at one time, a 
pound of it was worth a pound of gold. 

After a while, it was introduced into 
India, and later, about the middle of the 
sixth century, two monks arrived at Con- 
stantinople, bringing eggs of the silk- 
worm, and white mulberry, so they could 
raise them there. Soon they were raised 
in Italy, Spain, France and many parts of 
Europe. 

We will talk about the rest of our sam- 
ples another time. 

LINEN 

Here is a piece of cloth Charlie brought 
yesterday. What kind of cloth is it ? Yes, 
it is linen. Do we get this from animals ? 



88 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Then it is not an animal product, like the 
woolen and silk fabrics we have learned 
about. Where do we get it ? That is right, 
it comes from a little plant called flax. It 
grows in the United States and many other 
countries. 

The first linen cloth is said to have been 
manufactured in England in 1253 by the 
Flemish weavers. The stem of this plant 
is made up of little fibers, which, when sep- 
arated from the woody outer covering of 
the stem, are called "lint." It is manu- 
factured into cloth and thread. 

The cloth is cool and makes nice Sum- 
mer suits. Our table linen is also made 
from it. Can you name other uses? 

The tiny flaxseeds are used for poultices, 
and from them, also, linseed oil is ex- 
tracted. What is the oil used for? 

The part of the seed left is not wasted, 
but made into oil cakes, which are very 
useful for feed for cattle and sheep. 

Sometimes when these animals are 
caught in a great blizzard, the ranchman 
rides around among the suffering stock 
and feeds them these little oil cakes to keep 
up their strength. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 89 

COTTON 

What kind of cloth has Tom brought? 

Compare it with the wool, silk and linen 
we have been learning about. Is it like 
them ? No, very different, as we see. 

Where does the cotton come from ? 

I am holding up a picture of a pretty- 
plant in bloom. It is the cotton plant, 
which is raised mostly in the South. 

The fields are abloom in June, and look 
beautiful with their lovely flowers. 

When the cotton ripens, we see a field of 
white stretching before us, reminding us 
of snow. When the pods burst, the cotton 
is ready to be gathered. 

The bolls are full of seeds, and are re- 
moved by a machine called a cotton gin. 

I have some cotton bolls which were 
brought to me by a friend from the South. 
I will hold them up and you may all look 
at them. 

After the seeds are taken out, the cotton 
must be sent to the mill, where it is made 
into cloth and thread. 

What is my apron made of? Nellie's 
dress ? John's blouse ? 



90 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Woolen, Silk, Cotton and 
Linen Cloth 

The useful sheep I like the best, 
He gives me wool to make my dress. 
The tiny silkworm is good, too, 
And spins silk strands so soft and new. 

The cotton plant so strong does grow, 
And fills with bolls as white as snow; 
While little flax, with flowers so blue, 
Grows to make linen cloth for you. 

Seeing Good In Others 

A lady's dresses hung in her closet in all 
their beauty. 

There were robes of silk and wool, of 
cotton and linen. Party and street suits, 
kitchen dresses, and robes of all kinds, 
hung side by side in long rows. 

Her great brown leather trunk sat in 
one corner of the closet, and a>s she trav- 
eled a great deal, and this was her favorite 
trunk, it was considered a better place for 
him, than to be stored away in the attic 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 91 

with others of his cousins, who were sel- 
dom used. 

Usually, quiet reigned in the closet home 
of the dresses, but one day the silk dress 
rustled noisily, as if to say, "I am the rich- 
est dress here, and my lady loves me more 
than any of the rest of you." 

Then a fine woolen suit got prickly all 
over, and replied : "How do you make that 
out ? She always chooses me on a cold day, 
and I once heard her say that I had saved 
her life many a time." 

"Have you not seen," answered the silk- 
en gown, "that she chooses me for all great 
evening parties, or any gathering where 
she cares to look beautiful?" 

"Never mind about that," cried the linen 
suit, "for it is I who gave her the most 
comfort. In the hot summer days, she 
wore me, instead of you, and called me her 
'comfort' then." 

"I think you are all wrong," said a sim- 
ple cotton dress, from its dark corner. 
"Have you not noticed how the lady comes 
home, rushes upstairs, and takes you all 
off in a hurry, as she says : "Now, let me 



92 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

have my simple little wash dress, and then 
see about the supper. 

"Then she puts me on, and can fly 
around with no fear of soiling a best dress, 
like you, who quarrel over your good 
looks. 

"I heard her say that no matter what 
happened to me, I always laundered nicely, 
and was good as new again ; but when any- 
thing happened to you, the rag-bag was 
almost certain to be your fate." 

Now the old leather trunk had been lis- 
tening to all of this, and he grew quite in- 
dignant to find that his companions could 
each be so self satisfied; and he was dis- 
gusted because they could not see the good 
in others, and only seem to see the good in 
themselves. 

When he could stand it no longer, he 
talked until his straps were all loose. His 
preaching led them to see that each had 
its important place in the lady's wardrobe. 

Presently they were startled by hearing 
their mistress and her maid come quickly 
into the room. 

The closet door was thrown open, and if 
she noticed the dresses trembling, no 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 93 

doubt thought it was the wind from her 
sudden opening of the door. They heard 
her say: "J ane > won't you help me pull 
this trunk out, for I am going away to 
spend Christmas, and must pack it. 

"As I am to remain sometime, I will 
have to take all kinds of dresses/' 

Then she took down nearly all of them, 
After they were snugly packed in her 
trunk, and she and Jane had left the room, 
the old trunk smiled as if to say : 

'Well, I told you so !" 

Studying Nature 

Between the covers of a book 

Nature's sweet story lingers, 
While children quickly turn each page 

With deft and nimble fingers. 

The little doll, too, they must bring 

That she may also listen. 
I'm sure she really thinks it fine, 

Just see how her eyes glisten ! 



94 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

The little children love to read 

These messages of Nature; 
For flowers and trees and all such things 

Are sent to be their teacher. 

In winter, when the flowers are gone, 
And birds have ceased their nesting, 

Then turn they to their Nature Book 
And find it interesting. 

The Lumbering Industry 

We have already learned about the for- 
mation of coal, from the trees that flour- 
ished ages ago. 

Now we will learn how the trees serve 
us many other ways. 

In the northern part of the United 
States there are extensive forests. 

The hard woods, as the oak, walnut, 
hickory, maple and ash are found in the 
colder countries. Maine is called the 'Tine 
Tree State," because of its extensive pine 
forests. Soft woods come from the warm- 
er climates. 

Hard wood is very useful and durable. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 95 

Our ships, wagons, carriages, farm 
machinery, all kinds of furniture, interior 
woodwork, and floors, are made from it. 
You can think of many other uses, can you 
not? 

The most extensively used wood of all 
is the white pine. 

All of the section east of the Mississippi 
River was once a vast pine forest. 

I will show you a picture of a pine forest. 

When the early settlers came over here, 
they cut down these valuable trees, and in- 
stead of sending them to a lumber mill, 
they placed them in great piles and burned 
them ; thus many acres of our large timber 
forests were wasted. Of some, they con- 
structed log houses in which to live. 

Now, the logs are sent to the lumber 
mills, to be made into boards and building 
material, of which our nice homes are 
built. 

This illustrates the great progress and 
increasing intelligence of mankind. 

We read a great deal now, about the 
conservation of the forests, which means, 
keeping or protecting from injury. 



96 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

So many valuable forests have been 
destroyed by fires, that means must be 
taken to prevent this awful destruction and 
waste. 

Michigan ranks first in the lumber in- 
dustry, producing, it is estimated, about 
5,000,000,000 feet of lumber yearly. 

Minnesota and Wisconsin also produce 
vast quantities of lumber. 

In the Winter time the lumbermen of 
the Northern forests begin their work. 

This seems to be the best time, for there 
are then no leaves on the trees to hinder 
them; and the great logs can be easily 
hauled on sleds, to the river's bank, where 
they remain until the thawing of the ice in 
the Spring. 

They are then guided down the stream 
to the mills, where they are sawed into 
boards. 

The men guide the logs as they float and 
keep them from piling up. 

They use a long pole with a point or 
hook at the end, to push them with. 

Do you think the men who work in the 
cold, cutting down the trees, have good 
warm homes to stay in ? 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 97 

They build log houses, and a great many 
men live in these poor close quarters 
through the long cold winter. 

Many of the men return year after year 
to their work, and their hardships only 
seem to make them stronger. 

They call it a "logging camp." 

I visited a lumber mill in Moline, Illi- 
nois, one evening. 

The machinery was run by electricity, 
and was in operation both day and night. 

One force of men worked all day, and 
when the six o'clock whistle blew for them 
to go home for their suppers, another force 
of men marched in, ready for the night's 
work. 

At midnight a whistle told these men to 
stop and eat their lunches, and another, in 
the morning, told them to quit work and 
go home to rest in the daytime. 

The noise was very deafening in the 
mill, and one would not care to venture in 
very far, among the vast amount of ma- 
chinery, with its rapidly moving wheels 
and belts. 

Do you not think it would be wonderful 
to see how quickly the boards, laths, and 



98 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

other materials for building, were turned 
out? Some friends once took me to visit 
a pine forest in Connecticut. 

The trees were stately, tall and of such 
great circumference that they seemed to 
have flourished for ages. 

Their fragrance was delightful, and the 
"singing of the pines" we had read about, 
now became real to us. 

Near the edge of this pine forest, there 
was a camp meeting, which met every sum- 
mer. 

The little cottages nestled beneath the 
trees, making a pretty scene, as the stately 
monarchs of the forest towered above 
them, as if to protect them. 

It was a beautiful sight, and left a men- 
tal picture never to be forgotten. 

The old pines seemed to sing to us: 
"We know much about this country, and 
about the world, for we have been here a 
great many years." 



PART THREE 



SPRING 



/ 




Looking for the first Bluebird 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 101 



Spring Is Coming 

Spring is coming, don't you know ? 
For a Robin told me so ! 
And a Blue Bird, blithe and gay, 
Threw his song across the way, 
Just to greet the little brook, 
And the violets in their nook. 



Sleeping flowers will wake and grow, 
For the Robin told me so. 
Now the sound of hoops we hear 
And bright tops are spinning near, 
Jumping ropes are all the go, 
Boys and girls are glad, we know. 

The Easter Talk 

A beautiful Sunday is coming — called 
"Easter Sunday." 

This day conies at the time of year when 
all is changing. The old is being made 
new, and how happy every one is. 

When Nature gives up the ice and snow, 
the trees give up their long sleep, the seeds 



102 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

burst into new life, and butterflies come 
forth from their dead appearing cocoons. 

Everything seems to be proclaiming that 
death is life and "God is good/' 

The flowers say, "For a long time, we 
slept in seeds and bulbs, but we now come 
out into the bright, warm sunshine/' 

We adorn our churches with them, for 
in their silent beauty, they tell us the story 
of the resurrection. 

They tell us that our bodies are the 
houses in which we live, and some day we 
will not need these houses any more, for 
in a new life, we will be made more beauti- 
ful in our home in heaven. 

We love to sing: 
"Waken sleeping butterfly ! 

Burst your narrow prison ; 
Spread your golden wings and rise 

For the Lord is risen. 
Spread your wings and tell the story 
How he arose — the Lord of Glory." 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Furry Little Caterpillar 

Furry little caterpillar 

Crawling near my garden walk, 
Furry, sleepy caterpillar, 

Would you tell, if you could talk, 

How you spin your silken cocoon, 
Where you're safe from prying eye, 

And when comes the gladsome spring time 
You come out a butterfly ? 

Never talking, always dreaming, 
Of the time when you will pause, 

To trade off your little fur-coat, 
For those lovely wings of gauze ! 

Then, instead of crawling, living, 
On leaves of cabbages and weed, 

You will flit among the blossoms, 
Sipping honey for your feed ! 



104 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Caterpillar 

Children, let us look at this queer little 
thing with its fur coat. It is not as large 
as your thumb, and is called a "caterpil- 
lar." Its name, when written on the board, 
as you see, is as long as he is. 

Its fur is black, brown and yellow, and 
it has ten short legs and ten little feet. 

Six of the feet are provided with fine 
hooks which he uses for tools. His jaws 
are very strong, and in his head is a little 
machine which is called a "spinnerette." 

He has six black eyes and can see ten 
inches away, so it is said, but no farther. 

He lives in trees and travels up and 
down the branches. 

He eats a great deal and is eating most 
of the time. Leaves and buds are his fav- 
orite food. When eating, he twists him- 
self into a knot and holds the leaf in the 
hooks of his feet while he bites it off. 

He keeps on eating and growing, often 
bursting his coat and getting a new one. 
After this has happened many times, he 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 105 

is as large as he ever will be, when he 
begins to have queer feelings. The funny 
machine in his head begins to work and he 
becomes cold, sleepy and dizzy. He wants 
a warm coat. Then the machine spins 
yards and yards of fine soft thread, until 
his little house is all finished, and he is in 
the inside of it, ready for a long sleep. He 
sleeps until spring comes with its warm 
days, and at the proper time he is awak- 
ened. 

He opens his eyes and creeps slowly 
from his silken house ; but he hardly knows 
himself, for instead of the old fur suit he 
went to sleep in, he has a beautiful suit, as 
fine as velvet. 

Instead of ten feet, he now has six active 
little limbs, and beautiful, richly tinted 
wings. His eyes are like diamonds, and he 
can see far away. 

Now he does not care for leaves to eat, 
but likes honey from the flowers. 

He does not know, even, what he is, un- 
til some children exclaim : 

"Oh, see that lovely butterfly!" 

When night comes, he folds his wings 
and creeps into some dainty flower cup. 



106 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

He always did his work well, and did his 
very best. Do you not think he deserved 
his rest? 

He came out from his deep sleep into a 
more glorious life, reminding us of the 
Easter time. 

The Butterfly Talk 

Butterflies are the most beautiful of all 
insects. 

On account of the feather like scales of 
which their wings are covered, and to 
which their rare coloring is due, they are 
technically called, "Lepidoptera," meaning 
scale winged insects. 

We will hold this one up, and look at it. 
Now count its wings. There are four, two 
large, and two smaller ones, which it 
spreads when flying. They are covered 
with beautiful down which is easily rubbed 
off. So we see, they are not made to be 
handled. Many a little boy has caught 
the beautiful butterfly he was chasing, and 
after he had touched it, could see the marks 
of his fingers, where they had taken off the 
soft down. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 107 

The body, which is long and slender, is 
placed between the wings and covered with 
fine hairs. It has six legs which are used 
for standing. 

Upon the head are two long horns which 
are knotted at each end. He now has two 
eyes and four feelers. How many eyes did 
he have when he was a caterpillar ? 

He can now see far away. Could he 
then? 

The mouth is a long, hollow trunk, 
placed between two of the feelers. 

With it, he sips the honey from flowers. 
When not in use, the tube is kept curled up. 

Now we will let our little pet go, for he 
wants his freedom, and we must not be 
cruel to any living thing. 




108 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Blue Bird 

My darling little Blue Bird, 

Singing in the tree, 
Oh, what is the lovely song 

That you sing to me? 

Flying through the branches high 

Showing colors gay, 
Now, tell me, pretty Blue Bird, 

What is this you say? 

I hear his sweet clear answer : 

"Tis of Spring I tell, 
And of our loving Father, 

Who made all things well 

"I've come to chase the sorrow 
From the aching heart, 

And fill the world with gladness, 
This is now my part." 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 109 



Pussy Willows 

Why worry, little pussy coats ? 

You know the warm Spring sun will come, 

And kiss each little dainty crib 

Which all the winter was your home. 

And the sunbeams warm will hurry, 
And make ice and snow all scurry ! 
They'll call you out to greet the dawn, 
You pussies dear, so fat and warm! 

Alice and the Leaves 

It was a beautiful May day, and little 
Alice was taking a walk under the old 
apple tree which grew in her yard. 

She looked up, and saw the beautiful 
green leaves of the tree, which made such 
a nice cool dress for it. Little birds sang 
in the branches, and the leaves gladly cur- 
tained off the nests, and shaded the eyes 
of the baby birds from the bright sun- 
light. 



110 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

It was a wonderful picture to Alice, who 
had been sick a part of the Winter and 
Spring, and not able to be out of doors for 
some time. 

She looked up, and said: "Oh, you 
pretty leaves ! When I last saw the tree, 
it was brown and bare. Where did vou all 
come from?" 

All the leaves nodded, as though glad to 
see her, and some of them rustled as if to 
welcome their little friend. She caught 
one low branch in her hand, and picked off 
what she thought was the prettiest leaf, a 
very large one, which she called the 
"mama leaf" ; then she took off the small- 
est, which she called the "baby leaf." 

She sat down under the tree, for she was 
very tired, the walk from her swing near 
the house having been longer than she 
thought it would be. 

Alice turned the leaves over in her 
hands, and noticed how much the baby 
looked like the mamma. The dresses were 
both trimmed the same way around the 
edges. They were both velvety and soft, 
and had a fine network of veins. They 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. Ill 

had slender stems which had held them to 
the twig. 

Alice said: "Now, I think this large leaf 
is old enough to tell me all about itself 
and little brother and sister leaves." 

Then she leaned back and closed her 
eyes, but the leaf did nothing for some 
time. 

When Alice had sat quite still a few min- 
utes, the leaf rustled and tried to sing, as 
leaves will, sometimes, in the wind; and 
this is what it was telling her : 

"The tree has sent you a message, that 
you can find out all about the little leaf 
children by calling at the Elm tree that 
grows a few yards distant. 

"Our mother is busy getting the apples 
ready for the children, and our neighbor, 
the Elm, who lives near, has no fruits or 
nuts to prepare." 

Then Alice visited the Elm tree, and the 
little elm leaf children were just as glad to 
see her as were the little apple leaf chil- 
dren. 

She asked the mother Elm to tell her 
about the leaves, where they came from, 
and what they were for. 



112 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

The kind old tree replied : "Indeed, we 
trees love little children. Do you not see 
what fine large branches I am sending 
forth to shade you and your little friends ? 
Well, in the Autumn, when it grew cold, I 
took good care of my little baby buds, and 
gave them winter clothes to keep them 
warm; for they were to open into leaves 
in the Spring. The outside coat was a 
gum coat to keep the rain ofif. With their 
little warm coats about them, they slept 
through the cold weather, rocked in their 
cradles by the wind, and caring nothing 
for Jack Frost. 

"After their winter nap, when the warm 
winds and sunbeams brought their loving 
message from the Heavenly Father, they 
began to move in their cradles ; and swell, 
little by little, until they burst their winter 
coats, which they would not need any 
more. People walked under the branches 
and said: The leaves are budding/ In a 
short time, my branches were dressed in 
lovely green, and I am sure I am proud of 
my little leaf children. They are the best 
children I ever saw." 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE 113 

"What can they do?" inquired Alice. 

"I will tell you/' said the tree; "but first 
let me show you a leaf, and tell you about 
the different parts of it. This large part of 
the leaf is the blade, one face of which 
looks up at the sky, and one down to the 
earth. This leaf is made of two kinds of 
material, the green pulp, and the fibrous 
framework, or skeleton, which supports 
the soft, green pulp, making the leaf firm 
and strong. This framework is a woody 
material, which runs from the stem 
through the leaf stalk. 

"In the blade of the leaf, these spread 
out and form the ribs and veins. 

"The large part of the leaf drinks in air 
and sunshine. Without these, the tree 
would not thrive, and would soon die. 

"After this, when you look at trees, you 
will know that they breathe through their 
leaves, just as little children breathe 
through their lungs." 

"How funny !" said Alice. "Thank you 
very much for your story, dear tree." 

As the Elm reminded Alice that black 
clouds were gathering, and she had better 
hurry home, she ran off as fast as she 



114 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

could, but she heard the leaves singing, "It 
is going to rain, and now the dust will be 
washed off so we can breathe better, and 
gather in more sunshine/' 

Then Alice felt some one shaking her, 
and rubbed her eyes, and looked up, to see 
her mama, who wanted her to come to sup- 
per. 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 115 



Little Pussy Willow 

Pleasant is the Springtime- — 

For on every bough, 
Pretty little Pussies 

All are nodding now. 

Tell me, little Pussies, 
When it's cold and bleak, 

Why within your houses, 
You so snugly sleep? 

"Oh we know the Winter 

Soon will go away ; 
Then we'll gently rouse us, 

And come out and play." 

'Tis the warm sun tells us 
When it's time to stir, 

And come peeping at you 
In our coats of fur." 

How funny, little Pussies ! 

We put our furs away, 
When you are just appearing, 

In furs all dressed so gay! 



116 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Linnaeus 

Children, you love to see and gather the 
lovely flowers around you, and when older, 
}^ou will study Botany and learn about the 
families to which they belong, and many 
things very interesting. 

I must tell you about Linnaeus, who did 
so much for the study of Botany. He was 
born in Sweden, May 13, 1707. 

Although his parents were very poor, 
he was always happy among the weeds and 
flowers. It has been said of him, that he 
began to study Botany as soon as he could 
see, and at the age of four years, he asked 
his father questions about the weeds, flow- 
ers and plants. 

His father, who was a minister, wanted 
his son to become one, too, and finally sent 
him to a school to receive this preparation, 
but he failed to become interested in his 
studies, and was called a "dunce." 

His teachers said he could never make 
a minister or scholar of any kind, as he 
was so dull. They thought he had no mind 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 117 

at all. He was sent to other schools, but 
none of his teachers could cure his craving 
for plant study, and make him like school. 

He procured books by the few Swedish 
authors who had written of plant life, and 
these he studied with great delight. He 
cared for nothing but Botany and Biology. 

When Linnaeus was seventeen years old, 
his teachers told his father to make a tailor 
or shoemaker of the boy, as he was too dull 
to ever be anything else. This grief and 
disappointment was hard to bear, and he 
told his old friend, Dr. Rothman, of his 
son's failure. 

Dr. Rothman w r as able to see something 
deeper than the making of a tradesman of 
this dull boy ; therefore he offered to board 
him for the year left in his school course. 

This new found friend gave Linnaeus 
lessons in Physiology, and instructed him 
in the best system of Botany then obtain- 
able. 

When he was twenty years old, he went 
to the University of Lund, where he lived 
with a learned man who had a museum of 
minerals, plants, birds and shells, which 
he greatly delighted in. 



118 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

At night he read books on Natural His- 
tory, so you see the boy who had been con- 
sidered dull, could study subjects for 
which he had talent. 

Of course his development was now 
very rapid ; but he was influenced to leave 
and go to Upsala, where he could have 
better advantages. 

At this time, he had less than fifty dol- 
lars in his pocket, and had no hopes of get- 
ting more from his father, who was a poor 
minister. Yet he thought best to go, and 
as he was a stranger, he could make noth- 
ing by teaching. 

His small sum of money was soon gone, 
and he spent a year in great adversity, 
thankful for even one meal a day. 

His shoes became thin and ragged and 
he mended them himself, as best he could. 

An old minister, who had noticed his 
deep study of plants, became acquainted 
with him. He could see deeper than the 
rags of Linnaeus' clothing, and thought 
him a great student, rarely gifted. 

This new friend was Olaf Celsius, a pro- 
fessor of theology. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 119 

He was writing his "Hierobotanicon" at 
this time, and invited Linnaeus to his 
home. He saw his collection of plants, and 
considered his explanations of them won- 
derful, so he asked Linnaeus to make his 
home with him. This was surely good 
fortune for the poor young man, and he 
soon began to write his book on the sexes 
of plants. 

Prof. Rudbeck was so delighted with 
this, that he wanted him for his assistant. 
Thus Linnaeus was now reveling among 
his flowers like a happy butterfly. He gave 
lectures and published many books. I have 
not time to tell you of all of them, but we 
must notice his "Genera Plantarum," for 
it is considered the beginning of the nat- 
ural system of Botany. 

At the age of thirty-two, he was mar- 
ried, and a year later Prof. Rudbeck died, 
and Linnaeus became a professor in the 
University at Upsala, where he had once 
been the starving student. 

Everything was praise and glory for 
him now. Kings sought him and the Uni- 
versities all wanted him ; but he preferred 
to remain there, and kept on writing other 



120 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

botanical works. The school became so 
popular that in a short time the attendance 
was trebled. 

He died in the year 1778. 

Before Linnaeus' time plants were not 
studied much except as foods or medicines. 

There may be some boy or girl who finds 
it difficult to like school as they should, and 
who are considered dull by their teachers 
and parents. Let them be told the story of 
Linnaeus, and they will be encouraged to 
persevere, that their minds, like his, may 
develop in time, in the right way. 

Planting the Seed 

In our little flowerbed 

We have just made anew, 
We plant the seed so small 

That it may grow for you. 

There, in the fresh, rich soil, 

Warmed by the Spring sunshine, 

The little seed will swell, 
And soon become a vine. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 121 

The rains have given it 

The moisture it will need. 
Soon two cotyledons 

Are bursting from the seed. 

The root is growing, too; 

And will take from the ground 
The foods and juices good, 

That in its work are found. 

The stem shoots up and up, 
And, when it's time for them, 

Some more leaves will burst forth 
To make us glad again. 

And on it proudly grows 

With all its little might. 
Soon buds are bursting forth 

To fill us with delight. 

Some morning we will go 

To see this little vine, 
And blossoms we will find 

That in the sun do shine. 



122 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

In the green calyx bright 
Our pretty flower rests. 

The lovely corolla 

Little bees love, I guess. 

They sip the pure honey 

And quietly settle, 
As if they were owners 

Of each fair soft petal. 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 123 



The Hen and the Turkey 

One warm day in April, little brown leg- 
horn hen, who was called "Brownie," 
strolled through the gate to see if the bugs 
and seeds she liked best, would not taste 
better on the other side of the fence. 

She was very dainty and particular 
about what she had to eat. Besides, there 
could be no danger of visiting outside the 
yard occasionally, as she always found her 
way back. 

Then, too, the farmer had said that very 
morning, "that she would soon be ready 
to be set." She knew that meant no run- 
ning around for three weeks, at least. 

So she picked up bits of sweet green 
grass, little bugs and insects, kernels of 
corn that had been dropped ; and soon for- 
got that she had strolled away from the 
rest of the chickens and was walking 
around quite alone. 

Pretty soon a little boy came along/ 
swinging a bright new tin pail in his hand, 



124 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

and amused himself by trying to make her 
run. 

She was much frightened, and ran a long 
way, and was soon farther from home than 
she had intended to go. 

When she stopped, she found herself in 
the long grass, and right before her, on a 
nest, was a large turkey. 

The turkey looked very much surprised, 
and the hen stared at her and wondered 
what strange bird it was; for her master 
kept no turkeys, and she had never seen 
one before. 

When she had gotten her breath, she 
said: "Did I frighten you?" "No," said 
the turkey. "I am used to hens like you, 
for there are a great many living at the 
same place with me. I come out here so 
they won't know where my nest is, and now 
I hope you won't tell anybody, because if 
you do, my eggs might be taken. I am a 
turkey, and turkeys never want the people 
to know where their nests are. That is 
why we make them in the long grass." 

Little Brownie said "she would never 
tell, but she didn't see how a turkey 
could bear to leave a nice home in the barn- 




Blossoms we will find 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 125 

yard, where there were nests in boxes and 
barrels, fixed on purpose for them." 

Just then, the turkey came off the nest, 
and instead of cackling like a hen does, to 
let all the neighbors know she had laid an 
egg, she stole stealthily away, and whis- 
pered to the hen, "to come on, before any 
one should see them." 

But Brownie paused and looked curi- 
ously at the large speckled egg, so unlike 
her own. "There are several in the nest. 
Sometime you will have some nice little 
chickens," said the hen. 

"No, of course not ! Turkeys they will 
be," replied Mrs. Turkey. "What do you 
think," said Brownie, "I didn't know 
whether you would hop or walk when you 
came off the nest. I have noticed birds 
that walk, just as I do, and many that hop." 
Then the wise turkey told her "that all 
walking birds have strong legs and toes, 
and hopping birds have slender legs and 
small toes. All the barnyard fowls have 
legs and feet, made for walking. 

Then she mentioned the guinea hens, 
peacocks, ducks, geese, turkeys, hens and 



126 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

pigeons; also quails who do not live in the 
barnyard. 

The turkey, who was very clever at tell- 
ing the time of day by her shadow, said 
"she must be going home." So they bade 
each other "good-by," and the little hen 
went down the road to the gate. 

Some one had closed it while she was 
gone, but she was very lively and crawled 
under the fence. Soon she was with the 
other fowls in the barnyard, who told her 
how much they missed her, for she was a 
great favorite. 

The warm Spring days came and went, 
until the little hen was about five weeks 
older than when this story began. She was 
put in a coop in which she was securely 
fastened, but was not alone ; for there were 
twelve little chickens, in warm, soft downy 
coats, running around. How proud she 
was, and how much she had taught them ! 

They all loved each other very mudh, 
and were a happy little family. 

Brownie thought she would have to take 
another stroll down the road, and see how 
her turkey friend was getting along. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 127 

Besides, she was so proud of her chicks 
that she wanted her friend to see them. 
Then she was sure they were all doing fine- 
ly, and would soon be so large and strong, 
that the farmer would let them out to run 
around on the farm. 

One morning she was made very happy 
by being let out as she had wished, and 
seeing the gate open, she called her chicks 
and stole cautiously away. The hen was 
glad to be able to walk down the road 
again, for it was her favorite walk, and 
she knew she would see the turkey not far 
away. The little chicks did not get tired, 
as they w r ere quite strong, and their moth- 
er stopped every now and then to let them 
rest. 

But she had to go every step of the way 
to the long grass before seeing the turkey. 
Mrs. Turkey was very busy at home with 
a fine family of little turkeys. 

"How do you do?" said Brownie. "I 
have brought my dear little chickens to see 
you." 

"I am very glad," said the turkey, "for 
I was just wishing you could see what a 



128 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

nice family I have, after sitting on my 
eggs just four weeks!" 

"Four weeks?" said Brownie, "why, I 
only had to stay on the nest three weeks!" 

"Yes," said Mrs. Turkey, "but hens and 
turkeys are not much alike, and how does 
it come that you take them so far from 
home when they are so young? Now my 
little ones are very weak, and have to be 
taken care of. They can't stand the wet at 
all, and I expect the farmer will be here 
soon to put them in a safer, drier place." 

Just then the farmer came, and the little 
hen thought she had better be going, so 
they said "Good-by." 

Brownie was greatly satisfied that she 
had chicks to raise instead of delicate little 
turkeys. 

Spring Rain 

Patter, patter, gentle rain, 
Come to tell of Spring again. 
Come to bring us fragrant flowers 
That will brighten Summer hours. 




Then search for the Daisy 's Secret, my Darling Little One 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 129 

Patter, patter, drip-drip-drip ! 
Give the pretty birds a sip. 
Fill the little lambkins' trough, 
See them drink and scamper off ! 

Reading the Flowers 

What does my darling little one 

Read in the flowers so fair ? 
Methinks she's reading in their depths 

That Nature's God is there. 

We see it in the sunset bright, 

We read it in the skies ; 
And every night we find 'tis true, 

Told in the stars' bright eyes. 

And in the mountain scenery 

Or in the waterfall, 
We hear the lovely story true, 

That "God is All in all." 

Then search for the daisy's secret, 

My darling little one. 
In every lovely plant that blooms 

Great truths will be made known. 



130 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Uncle George's Story of the Birds 

"The first bird I will tell you about," 
said Uncle George, "is the European Spar- 
row. He is a bold bird, and goes to the 
pigeon houses, and with his sharp beak, 
opens the crops of young pigeons, then 
eats the half-digested grain. 

"He finds this an easy way to get his 
food, so is lazy as well as cruel. 

"They annoy the farmers by eating so 
much grain, but they also help him, by 
ridding the land of insects. 

"A pair of sparrows destroy for their 
little family over 3,360 caterpillars in a 
week. 

"They are easily tamed and will hop 
around the house. I once cut some meat in 
small pieces and they liked it immensely. 

"You would like to know, too, about the 
little song sparrows, some of whom remain 
all Winter. 

"If wounded and unable to fly, they can 
swim. They build their nests on the 
ground under tufts of grass. Their nests 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 131 

are made of horsehair and dried grass. 
Sometimes they build in cedar trees. They 
are six and a half inches long, and a dark 
chestnut color, marked with white. The 
breasts are spotted. 

"Now I must tell you about the Parrot, 
for 3^ou have seen many of them. He has 
brilliant plumage, of green or green and 
red, and can imitate the human voice, for 
he has a fleshy, thick tongue. Some can 
speak distinctly and whistle, sing and 
laugh. One that I heard, said : 'Don't make 
me cry so ; I shall die !' He could mew like 
a cat, and bark like a dog, also whistle for 
the dog. 

"Some of them eat seeds of plants, fruit 
and grain. The wild ones roost ill hollow 
trees, and lay their eggs on a few pieces of 
rotten wood at the bottom. 

"I once knew a man who had a parrot 
he bought while in Europe, and as he trav- 
eled, he taught it several languages. 

"He brought it to this country and at 
the time I saw this lovely bird, its home 
was in St. Louis. It often picked pieces of 
wood from the parlor furniture, when let 
out for exercise. They are very fond of 



132 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

pretty things, and most always peck at 
precious stones set in rings or pins. An- 
other quite large bird which you may have 
seen is the Owl." 

Owls 

"Owls prowl about at night and kill ani- 
mals which are asleep. 

"Their flight is noiseless, as the wings 
are soft and downy. Like others birds of 
prey, they have hooked beak and claws. 

"They have a funny habit of bowing 
awkwardly to each other, and are short 
and chunky with eyes set far in front. 
Their eyes are sensitive to sunlight, and if 
in a bright light, roll their eyes as if in 
pain. They are made for seeing in the 
dark. The legs, feet and bills are covered 
with feathers, so they can hardly be seen. 

"They make their homes in hollow trees, 
sometimes stealing the squirrels' nests. 
Some have nests in old buildings. 

"Do you not think the farmers are glad 
to have them eat so many mice which hurt 
their grain? I once visited in the country 
and saw a young owl about half grown, 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 133 

which a man found and brought home to 
his little girl. She set him up on the fence in 
the bright sunlight, and he rolled his eyes 
and made a terrible noise. 

"She fed him a small ground squirrel 
which had been caught in a trap. He 
swallowed it whole, bones, hairy coat, and 
all. After it had been down a short time 
he threw up the bones, skin and all undi- 
gestible parts. The little girl laughed, and 
told him 'he had better dress his meat be- 
fore eating it/ but that is not his way. 

"He is called a wise bird, perhaps be- 
cause he holds himself with such dignity 
and always has a very wise expression. 

"Now we have heard about the spar- 
rows, parrots and owls, and must go to 
supper. 

"Tomorrow I will tell you about some 
other birds. " 



134 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Birds So Gay 

If I were but a little bird 

Just like you, 
Fd throw away my little dress, 

And wear blue. 

Then in my pretty feather coat 

I'd fly high. 
Fd touch the clouds so soft and white 

In the sky. 

Tell me, my little songster gay, 

Why are you 
On every day and Sundays too 

Dressed in blue? 

And why such little dainty feet 

That can hop ; 
And when you're happy you just sing, 

And never stop? 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 135 



Robins, Blue Birds and Blue Jays 

One evening, as the children sat around 
the fire, Teddie reminded Uncle George 
that he must finish telling him about the 
birds. Uncle, seeing it was Ted's way 
never to forget a promise, began : 

"When I was a boy, the Robin was my 
favorite bird, so I will tell you about him 
first. He spends the Winter in South 
Carolina and returns to us in March. He 
builds his nest in a fork of the old apple 
tree, plasters it with mud, and lines it with 
fine grass. 

"Mother Robin lays about five eggs of a 
bluish green color. 

"They eat worms, berries and caterpil- 
lars. Sometimes they line their nests with 
fine shavings, or soft feathers. They are 
quite tame and will come to bushes and 
take threads, hair and anything suitable if 
the children place it there for them, and 
weave it into their nests. 

"I must now tell you of our earliest mes- 
senger of Spring, the 



136 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

BLUE BIRD 

"Sometimes he returns in February. If 
possible, they like to repair their nest of 
the former year's building. If this cannot 
be done, they set diligently to work to 
make a new home. 

"Soon, five or six light blue eggs are 
laid, of which they are quite proud. 

"During the Spring and Summer their 
song is a beautiful warbling, which 
changes in October to a single plaintive 
note. 

"The male is six and three-fourths 
inches long, with full broad wings. 

"The upper parts are of a rich sky blue, 
reflecting some purple. 

"He is called 'A harbinger of Spring/ 
because he returns so early. I am sure he 
is looking for the little boys and girls he 
used to see last Spring; and for the return 
of the early flowers — the Spring beauties 
—violets and tulips. 

The little boys and girls are looking for 
him, too ; and no doubt he thinks them lit- 
tle Spring beauties, as they eagerly gaze 
into the treetops, looking for the first blue- 
bird. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 137 

"Now I will tell you about a bird which 
is very pretty to look at, but when you be- 
come acquainted with him, you learn that 
he is selfish and mean. 

"I am telling you about the 

BLUE JAY 

"I dislike to have anything bad to tell 
about any of our little birds, but I cannot 
give you a description of this one without 
relating a few of his mean traits. He is 
very beautiful to look at, but we all remem- 
ber the saying: Tine feathers do not 
make fine birds/ 

"You have all seen him, with his pretty 
plumage and crested head, and have 
noticed his broad wings, and tail, which is 
banded with blue, black, and white. 

"He likes to taste eggs other birds have 
laid, and drives them ofif their nests, some- 
times hurting them badly. He even de- 
vours the young birds and attacks disabled 
animals. 

"The Blue Jay stores surplus food away 
in some hole in a tree or crack in the bark. 
He is so greedy that he will eat all he can, 



138 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

and then hide the food remaining from 
other birds. 

"He is a great enemy of the owl. 

"Now/' said Uncle George, "I must 
read my paper, but I will tell you some 
other day of the swallows, orioles, and 
woodpeckers, for we often hear little Lucy 
sing the song she learned at kindergarten, 
about them/' 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 139 



The Nest Builders 

Times are not dull in the woodland, 

As the busy workers there 
Are hammering and plastering, 

Building their new homes with care. 

There Woodpecker, with his hammer 

Is busy the live long day ; 
And the Swallow, with his plaster, 

Is at work across the way. 

And the gay Oriole weaver 

Will make the hammocks so fine, 

While our frisky Mr. Squirrel 
Is watching him all the time. 

Now these busy wildwood dwellers 
Never talk about their pay, 

Since He who cares for the lilies 
Is feeding them every day. 



140 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Swallow, Oriole and 
Woodpecker 

Lucy was singing her song, 'The Swal- 
low is a Mason," when Uncle George said: 
'That song reminds me of my promise, so 
sit down, children, and I will tell you about 
the Swallow, Oriole and Woodpecker." 

They were very glad Uncle George had 
remembered his promise, and soon, four 
little chairs were drawn up and eight 
bright eyes were eagerly watching for him 
to begin: "You know, for the little song 
teaches it, that birds have trades, the same 
as men have. 

"The little Swallow is a fine mason, as 
you see, w 7 hen you look at this nest," said 
uncle, holding up a swallow's nest. "See 
how beautifully it is plastered. The swal- 
low's trowel is his bill, his mortar is mud, 
made firm with fine hay and the glutinous 
saliva of the bird. With mud and hay and 
leaves he makes his comfortable little nest. 

The Chimney Swallows live in chimneys 
of the farm houses. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 141 

"The Barn Swallows' plumage is beauti- 
fully mixed with blue-black on the upper 
parts, and rich fawn or drab color below. 
The tail is deeply forked, the two outer 
feathers being nearly twice the length of 
the others. 

"The Chimney Swallows are a plain 
mouse color, the tail nearly even, and each 
feather ending in a sharp point. 

"The Swallows are very neighborly and 
sociable. When they go South in Winter, 
they go in great companies. 

"A gentleman was once traveling when 
he came to a forest, through which he was 
obliged to pass, and as a severe storm 
came up he decided to rest under the shel- 
ter of a fine old tree. In the early morning 
he was startled by the terrific roaring 
which seemed to come from within the 
trunk. He placed his ear to the tree, and 
the noise became very loud. Soon a large 
company of Swallows flew out and were 
followed by so great a number it would 
have been impossible to count them. The 
gentleman knew they were seeking a 
warmer climate and had gone into the hoi- 



142 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

low tree to pass the night and rest for the 
next day's journey." 

"Do they always travel in large com- 
panies ?" asked Teddie. "Yes/' said Uncle 
George. "Twenty or thirty nests are often 
seen in the same barn, so you may know 
they like neighbors, and no doubt have 
good times visiting. 

"The Swallow lays five eggs, which are 
white, with reddish brown spots. 

"They raise two broods in a season, and 
the last leave their nest about the first 
week in August. 

"When the young are fledged, the par- 
ents coax them out of their nests to ex- 
ercise their wings in the barn. 

"Swallows eat insects, which they catch 
on the wing. Now we have heard about 
the mason, and I must tell you about the 
weaver, or the 

ORIOLE 

"This beautiful singer, with lovely black 
and orange plumage, weaves a little bag 
of grass, bark and wool, strengthened with 
pieces of strings and hair. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 143 

"His little nest would remind you of a 
hammock, as he hangs it from a strong 
twig, fastening it firmly. 

"The farmer thinks he is a great helper, 
as he rids the orchards of worms. 

"He is called the 'Baltimore Oriole/ be- 
cause his colors were those of Lord Balti- 
more, formerly proprietary of Maryland. 

"Some of the birds are better workers 
than others, and make smoother, stronger 
nests. 

"They often carry off the thread which 
has been put out to bleach. 

"Our little friend is seven inches long, 
with head, throat, upper parts of back and 
wings black. 

"The lower part of the back and whole 
under parts are bright orange. 

"The tail is black and orange. 

"If you are not too tired, I will tell you 
about the carpenter, or 

WOODPECKER 

"His food consists of insects and their 
eggs, which are deposited beneath the bark 
of decayed trees. 



144 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

"He is supplied with a large hammer- 
shaped head, and long, sharp bill. By their 
aid, he strips away the bark, and gets his 
food. If insects are beneath the bark, he 
uses his long tongue, which is barbed at 
the end and can be protruded beyond the 
beak. 

"With his bill he also digs out of the tree 
a hole in which to raise his young. This 
hole is often three feet in depth, and some- 
times much less. His legs are short and 
muscular, and the toes are placed two be- 
fore and two behind, so he can take hold of 
the bark firmly. 

"Now we have learned about all the lit- 
tle birds of Lucy's song," said Uncle. 
"Yes," replied Lucy, "and it sounds like 
our kindergarten stories, too." 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 145 



A Dream Poem 

A Swallow worked hard for seven days, 
Having no time for visits or plays, 
And built her nest of mud, hay and leaves, 
Right under the old brown stone house 
eaves. 

The nest was finished, and she was proud, 
And sang her songs very clear and loud : 
"My home is the nicest in the land ! 
Happy we'll be in our nest so grand." 

Two boys who lived in the brown stone 

house, 
Crept out as still as a little mouse ; 
And climbed the ladder so straight and tall, 
And carried away the nest so small. 

"Now, I'd like to know who owns this 

place?" 
Said one little boy, with pouting face. 
"Our father does, and the nest is ours, 
'Though the swallows worked at it for 

hours." 



146 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

"'Tis ours, of course ! It belongs to us. 
Those swallows need not make such a 

fuss!" 
Then they carried it to their own room, 
And the swallows' joy was turned to 

gloom. 

Then sadly they sang, from day to day, 
For their home had been carried away. 
"We'll build another in the same place 
In spite of the boy with pouting face." 

The kind neighbor birds all came to see 
If they could not all of them agree 
To hold a meeting at half past one 
To see if something could not be done. 

So Robins, Sparrows and Thrushes, too, 
Woodpeckers, Orioles, and Bird Blue, 
Met in a row on the old clothesline, 
And argued 'til nearly half past nine. 

Finally, they decided 'twas best 
To buy the house, if they built the nest. 
"We'll give a fine concert," said Bird Blue, 
"And earn some money to help us through." 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 147 

The boys heard all that the birds had said, 
And with faces sad and hearts like lead, 
They resolved never again to take 
A nest which the little birds should make. 

A Morning Talk About Birds 

PART ONE 

Give, each week, as much as the cmldren 
are ready for. 

Birds build their nests in the Spring, so 
their little ones, who are bare, will have 
the warm sun to shine on them. Then, 
too, food is easily found in Spring and 
Summer, and with good food and plenty of 
warmth, they will grow strong by Fall, 
and be able to fly about for food, and to go 
South when it is too cold for them here. 

The different birds build their nests near 
the kind of food they eat. That is, the 
sparrows, swallows and thrushes, build 
near houses, as the flies and insects they 
like are to be found there. 
• The storks build near ponds, because 
they like frogs. 

Woodpeckers hunt decayed trees, where 
they can get the insects they are so fond of. 



148 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Tomorrow, we will have some real nests 
and pictures of nests to look at. 

Each bring one, if you can, and tell us 
something about it. 

PART TWO 

Who can tell me where our birds who 
are scratchers, spend most of their time? 
What do they eat ? Where do they roost ? 
They eat seeds, insects, grains, etc. They 
have heavy bodies, short wings, and legs 
of moderate length and size. Their toes 
are straight, and nails short and blunt. 

Their three front toes are the longest, 
and united near the leg by a membrane. 
The hind toe is short, and placed high on 
the leg. 

Their young are hatched with their eyes 

open, and are generally able to run about 

for their food as soon as they are out of the 

shell 

c PART THREE 

Who can mention some of our swim- 
mers? Yes, the ducks, geese, and swans 
belong to this class. The toes of swim- 
ming birds are joined by a web or skin, 
which makes them nice little oars. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 149 

Their bodies are boat-shaped, which 
enables them to move more easily through 
the water. Their legs are short and placed 
far back under their bodies, which makes 
them very good swimming paddles; but 
when walking about on land they are very 
awkward. 

Their thick plumage is packed under- 
neath with down, while the outside feath- 
ers overlap each other, and are kept well 
oiled. Thus, you see, the skin does not be- 
come wet from the water in which they 
swim. They reach down into the pond 
with their long necks and get their food. 

How do the ducks strain their food? 
What kind of bills do they have ? 

All bring pictures of ducks and other 
swimming birds tomorrow. 

A Talk About Perchers 

Have you ever seen a little bird sitting 
on a tree ? How does he hold on so nicely 
without falling? 

The perchers have four toes, two front 
and two back ones. Their legs and feet are 
slender. Their wings are long and quite 



150 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

large, enabling them to be great flyers. 
You may name some of our perchers. The 
children name robins, orioles, sparrows,' 
canaries, and any they may have noticed. 

Bring pictures of perchers tomorrow, 
and if possible, bring a canary bird. 

Lead the children to be kind to the birds, 
and to scatter crumbs for those who re- 
main with us for the Winter. 

Teach them to place water where they 
can reach it, and if very cold, snowy weath- 
er, to tie suet to the branches of the trees, 
that they may have heat producing food. 
Encourage humane treatment of all their 
pets, both birds and animals. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



151 



CLASSES 
OF BIRDS.1 



Scratchers 

and 

walkers 



Perchers 
and those 
that hop 
and chirp 



f Chickens 

T HSk°ey S s 

[ Guinea-hens, etc. 



>Types 



' Sparrows 
Swallows 
Canaries 
Blue-birds 

k Orioles, etc. 



Types-j Woodpecker 
I Parrots 



Climbers 
Talkers (Type \ Parrot 



Swimmers 

Robbers 

or 

Birds of 

Prey 

Waders 
Runners 



, ^ I Ducks 

(Types < Geese 

I Swans 



( Eagles 
T y? es | Hawks 

(Type {Stork 
(Type \ Ostrich 



152 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Wren and Brown Thrush 

"Oh, Uncle/' cried Lucy, "our cat has 
caught a little bird, and I fear she will eat 
it !" "I will see if I can get it away from 
her/' said uncle; but it was too late. Pussy 
had really devoured the tiny bird, and 
nothing but the feathers strewn about on 
the grass could show that little wren had 
ever existed. 

"I wish, Uncle George, you would tell 
me all about the wrens/' said Lucy. "All 
right/' replied the good-natured uncle. 
"Sit down near me, and I will tell you a 
short story: 

"The wren comes back to us in April, 
and builds a nest in the wooden cornice 
under the eaves, or in a hollow cherry tree. 
They prefer small boxes nailed on top of a 
post in the garden, or to the side of the 
house, near the eaves. I once knew of an 
old brick building, and the wrens built 
nests in the little holes where some of the 
bricks had crumbled out. Some have 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 153 

made their nests in an old hat, nailed up, 
with a little place left for their door. 

"One time a workman hung his coat up 
under a shed. Two or three days passed 
before he put it on, and then, as he was 
putting one arm in the sleeve, he found it 
filled with old leaves, paper, grass and 
hair. He started to pull the rubbish out, 
and found a wren's nest. They flew around 
him, scolding, as if to let him know they 
thought he had done wrong to destroy 
their nest. They like to hop on the ground 
near the houses, but are in great danger as 
the cat is very fond of these little birds. 

"They are of a dark brownish color, and 
remind me of our little brown thrush !" 

"I would like to hear about the brown 
thrushes/' said Lucy, "for I know a song 
about them." 

"Well," continued uncle, "he is just a lit- 
tle bit larger than a robin, with reddish 
brown plumage on his back. The under 
parts are of a yellowish color, spotted with 
brown. The tail is very long, and their 
song is loud and varied in tone. He is one 
of our finest musicians, and if half a mile 
away, we could hear his song. 



154 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

"He builds his nest early in May, some- 
times in a vine, but prefers the hedge or 
thorn bush. There is a brown thrush's 
nest in our grapevine which I must show 
you. It is constructed of tiny sticks, pieces 
of fine roots, and dry leaves. He has a 
very strong bill, and if the blacksnake mo- 
lests his nest, he attacks it and protects his 
little family. 

"He eats worms, beetles, grubs, berries, 
and caterpillars. They are quite tame and 
fly low, spreading their tails out like a fan. 

"Now you have learned about two of 
our tamest little birds, and I must go to 
my work/' said Uncle George. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 155 



Froebel 

Be glad and sing, little children, 
For one was born this day, 

Who wrote us lovely songs, 

And taught little children to play. 

Now we can be pretty fishes, 
Or trains of cars that run; 

Snails crawling into shells, 

Or prancing ponies full of fun. 

We are happy while we're at school, 

And happy when at play. 
We love our pretty work, 

Whether 'tis sewing, mats or clay. 

Oh, what would we do, dear Froebel, 
Throughout this world today, 

Had you not planned for us, 

Education through work and play. 



156 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Evolution of the Apple 

Have you noticed how Mother Nature 
gets the apples ready for the children? 

If we visit the orchard, we will find 
many trees with their great branches 
loaded with buds. 





These will be very small at first, and all 
enclosed in their little green jackets. 

The days grow warmer all the time, and 
soon the buds become larger, and show a 
little pink color peeping out of their door. 
They will gradually unfold until we see 
many larger buds, and finally, the tree is 
filled with the full blown apple blossoms, 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 157 

whose perfume and beauty make everyone 
glad. 




158 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

After these lovely blossoms have adorned 
the trees for a short time, their petals be- 
gin to fall, and all over the ground, beneath 
the trees, they form a soft carpet. 

Looking up, we see the little blossom 
stems, with the green calyx which had held 
the flower. How many there are! These 
will grow and grow, until you will see the 
calyces forming into little green apples. 

The sepals, as the tiny green parts of the 
calyx are called, will sometime become the 
blow of the apple. 

Some apples mature early, while others 
grow larger and larger all summer, and 
are not ready to be gathered until Fall. 

These are our Winter apples. The apple 
trees have enemies who come to destroy 
the fruit, and if not gotten rid of in time, 
many apples are ruined. 

These enemies are the worms, who are 
very fond of apples. 

We do not like to find wormy fruit on 
our trees. 

A way has been discovered to spray the 
trees and get rid of the pests, and very nice 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 159 

fruit is being raised. This fine perfect fruit 
sells for better prices than poor fruit. 

In some States, Montana for instance, 
there are district inspectors who are re- 
quired to visit and spray all local orchards; 
and they are empowered to destroy an en- 
tire fruit district, if it should prove neces- 
sary to get rid of a pest. 

You may bring apple seeds, and we will 
plant them and watch them grow 




160 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Potato Planting 

Little Edith went to the country 
To visit her grandpa one day, 

And some men were planting potatoes 
In a garden across the way. 

So she ran right over to watch them. 

She very much wanted to know 
The way that all things must be planted. 

And what's needed to make them grow. 

They cut potatoes into pieces, 

But on each piece must leave an eye ; 

For they never would grow without it, 
But remain in the ground and die. 

"Well, I'm sure/' said dear little Edith, 
"The eye must help them see to grow! 

For they never could do without it, 
And my grandpa just told me so/' 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 161 



The Bees 

One warm day in Spring, the sun shone 
right into a beehive that stood under an 
apple tree in the orchard, and had been the 
home of the "Brownies" all the long 
Winter. 

The Brownies had worked very hard the 
Summer before, laying up food for them- 
selves, and for people, too. 

They were not lazy or selfish, and never 
stopped when they had had enough to eat ; 
but w r ent right on, filling their little hex- 
agonal cells, and sealing each one over 
when it was filled, just as your mama seals 
her can of fruit w T hen it is filled and ready 
to be put away for the Winter. 

When Winter time came, they rested in 
their home, the hive, until a little Spring 
sunbeam whispered: "Dear little Brown- 
ies, waken from your long nap, and come 
out into the beautiful world, where the 
flowers are waiting to welcome you." 

Roused from their sleep, they looked 
about, stretched their legs and wings, and 



162 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

soon one ventured out, and then another 
and another, going to the roof of their lit- 
tle home. 

Here they waited, that they all might 
go on a journey to the apple blossoms. 
Soon they started. 

The first trip was a short one, but they 
carefully filled their tiny baskets and 
started for home. 

The next day they were much stronger, 
and stood their journey better, flying from 
flower to flower in the garden, and away 
out in the fields of clover, gathering the 
sweet honey. 

At night, they came back very tired, but 
had plenty of sweet food, which they 
stowed away in the queer little cells or 
boxes which they had made. 

They also gathered the yellow flower 
dust or pollen, which they packed away in 
the baskets on their legs ; and carried it to 
the hive to be mixed with honey and be 
made into "bee-bread" for the baby bees. 

The babies could not thrive without this 
bread. 

When a bee goes into a flower, it is cov- 
ered with the yellow flower dust, or pollen; 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 163 

and the first thing it does, is to brush it off, 
just as you would brush the dust off from 
your clothes; only the bee is careful to 
brush the yellow dust down with little 
brushes which it has on its legs for that 
purpose; next he packs it in the baskets as 
carefully as if it were gold. 

The children, playing in the orchard 
every day, watched these little Brownies, 
but they called them "Bees/' and when 
they heard them singing about their work, 
said: "The bees are humming/' 

"Then the Brownies laughed in their 
own way, saying: "We must work and 
make honey, that the dear little girls and 
boys may have plenty to eat/' 

When the weather grew cold, the 
Brownies had earned their rest, and had 
plenty of food laid up in their homes. 

Little Brown Bees 

Dear little brown bees, always busy, 

Pray tell, do you ever sigh, 
When you think of the work you're doing? 

Does it make you tired to fly? 



164 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

When among the sweet clover blossoms, 

Gathering the honey dew, 
Do you think of the good you're doing 

As you sing the whole day through ? 

"Oh, fairest little maiden, ever, 
When amid the flowers we roam, 

Of the dear little folks we're dreaming, 
As we fill our honey combs. 

"We will work enough in the Summer, 
To last us the whole year through. 

We will never grow tired or weary, 
For we w r ork, sweet child, for you." 

All Is Mine 

I was wheeling my baby boy 

Out for the afternoon, 
Under some fine catalpa trees 

Which were then all in bloom. 

The little darling glanced upward, 
Waving his plump arms white, 

While his face with joy was beaming. 
He then cried in delight : 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 165 

"All is mine ! All for the baby !" 

And we were glad to hear 
That even this little cherub 

Cared for the flowers so dear. 

The trees arched over the sidewalk 

(On each side a row grew), 
And over us the floral arch 

Was tossing blossoms new. 

Each cluster was full of perfume. 

We paused in great delight, 
While the baby boy repeated : 

"All is mine !" and the sight 

Pleased a gentleman very old, 

Who was out for a stroll. 
He paused, saying: "Darling baby, 

It may seem very droll, 

"But there's many older people 
Who've not yet learned, my boy, 

That God gives us all these blessings 
That we may them enjoy. 

"So we will look around us, as 

'Tis meant for you and me. 
Yet many older than you, dear, 

Do not this beauty see/' 



PART FOUR 



SUMMER 




Gathering Summer Flowers 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 169 



The Summer Time 

JUNE 

Birdies giving concerts, 

Roses all a-bloom, 
Breezes filled with perfume — 

That's the month of June. 

JULY 

Shooting off firecrackers, 
Eating good ice cream. 

Time flies all too swiftly, 
In July, 'twould seem. 

AUGUST 

Going out for picnics, 

Gathering Summer flowers, 
Playing in the meadows 

Through the August hours. 



We welcome these three months, 
Full of Summer cheer. 

They bring joy and gladness 
To the children dear. 



170 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Pigeons 

Tommy had gone out into the country 
for a few weeks' visit with his grandpa. 

Before he had been there many days, he 
found it was such a wonderful place, and 
so unlike the city, that he almost thought 
he would like to stay there all the time. 

He climbed the trees and got the apples 
down, gathered ripe grapes from the vines, 
and ate the plump peaches which grew on 
the peach tree. 

He was a very good boy, and did not 
spend all of his time for himself. He took 
such good care of the chickens that they 
soon learned to love him. He watered the 
horses and petted the little calf, until they 
felt almost as well acquainted with him as 
if he had always been there. 

Tommy had been given a flowerbed to 
care for, and he spent a great deal of time 
with his plants. 

One day, when he was pulling weeds, 
and digging around the plants, he heard 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 171 

something flutter down very near him, and 
turned to see what it could be. 

There was the most beautiful pigeon he 
had ever seen ! Such pink little feet, pretty, 
bright eyes, and lovely grey and white 
feathers ! 

What do you think it was doing? Drink- 
ing water out of the dish which Tommy 
had brought out for the plants. 

Now, he had often watched the chickens 
drink, and noticed how they took a little 
sip of water, and then threw their heads 
back and let it run down ; then took another 
sip and did the same way, keeping this up 
until they had had enough. 

But the little pigeon did differently. She 
put her bill down to the dish, and drank 
just as a horse does, taking what water 
she wanted without throwing her head 
back to swallow it. 

Tommy sat very still for fear his little 
visitor might become frightened. 

Soon she had finished drinking, and held 
her head to one side, walking off with such 
an important air that Tommy could not 
help laughing. 



172 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

After a while, she flew up to the pigeon- 
house on the tall pole, and went in at the 
cunning little door. 

Tommy thought he would like to peep 
in there, and see what the pigeon's home 
looked like. So up he went and was well 
paid for his trouble. 

There, in the small room, with its straw 
carpet, were the old pigeons, taking care of 
their two little ones. 

After that, Tommy often visited their 
house, and watched his little feathered 
friends anxiously to see how they grew. 

His grandma told him that pigeons, when 
first hatched, are much weaker than chick- 
ens. A young chicken can run around and 
find its own food about as soon as it is out 
of its shell; but a pigeon has to be taken 
care of until nearly grown. 

We do not have to feed them, as the 
parent birds fill their crops with food, and 
then fly to the nest, taking food from their 
crop to fill the bills of the young birds. 

The mother pigeon lays two eggs, then 
she and the father bird take turns sitting. 
She sits on the eggs at night until about 
ten o'clock in the morning, then he comes 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 173 

and sits on them until evening, when she 
comes back to the nest, and he goes away 
for his rest. 

Seventeen days after the eggs are laid, 
the young are hatched. In just four weeks 
they are quite large and fill the nest, so 
that there is no room for the parents. 
They go to another nest and the mother 
lays two more eggs. They keep this up in 
Winter and in Summer, thus raising many 
families of little ones during a year. 

They represent the family life more 
nearly than any other birds as they each 
select their mate, and live in pairs. 

When Tommy went back to the city he 
told his playmates about the wonderful 
things he had learned. 

Summer Rain 

The rain is falling fast ! 

I can't go out to play, 
But dust on leafy tree 

Will now be washed away. 

The farmer is so glad 

To see this gentle rain, 
Because it came in time 

To save his crop of grain. 



174 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

And little boys and girls, 
How happy you should feel, 

That God sends sun and rain 
To give you flour and meal ! 

For these we could not have 

Without his loving care. 
Then let us all be glad 

That we so well may fare. 

Story of the Snail 

Mabel and John lived in a beautiful city, 
and a few miles from their home was a 
lovely grove, where trees of all kinds grew, 
and moss covered the ground. 

Many a nice time they spent there, gath- 
ering ferns and flowers, or if in the Au- 
tumn, searching for the walnuts, hazel- 
nuts, butternuts, and hickory nuts to be 
put away for Winter. 

One day they started for the grove, 
taking a nice lunch which their mother had 
packed in a basket, for they intended stay- 
ing several hours. 

As the carriage was a two-seated one, 
mother and Aunt May accompanied them. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 175 

They gathered many wild flowers and 
got some very tall ferns to press; but the 
most curious thing they found was a little 
snail, which Mabel picked up. 

She did not even know what it was, for 
it was the first one she had ever found. 
Aunt May told her this story about it. 

"Mr. Snail has no particular home, but 
travels around, and, like a soldier, takes his 
tent with him. We might call the snail's 
shell a tent or house, for he carries it on 
his back and goes into it at night. 

"These snails are hatched from tiny 
white eggs. When they come out, they 
eat the tgg shell, and start out to get some 
food. 

"They begin to take care of themselves 
at once, and always know what is best for 
them. 

"The queerest thing is, that as they 
grow larger, the house keeps growing too, 
so they have the same house when full 
grown that they had when hatched. 

"Their bodies are flat on the under sides, 
and instead of feet, are provided with a 
great number of little suckers to hold on 
to the stones or wood over which they 



176 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

creep. They never go around such objects, 
but always over them. 

'Their shells are striped with brown 
and gold while they are living, but after 
they die the shell turns white. 

"As they can not run or go very fast, we 
often hear the expression: € As slow as a 
snail/ 

"Now," said Aunt May, "I must tell you 
about their heads, which are short and 
provided with four horns. The upper pair 
are the larger and on the tips are tiny 
black specks supposed to be eyes. When 
any one touches a snail he draws his horns 
in. 

"They lay their eggs just underneath 
the surface of the soil. 

"The thrush is a great killer of snails, 
and pays for the fruit he eats by destroying 
them, for they are the gardeners' enemies. 

"In Winter they go into seclusion, clos- 
ing the opening to their shell home, with a 
layer of hardened mucus, sometimes 
strengthened by the same substance of 
which their shell is composed; and always 
perforated with a tiny hole, to admit air so 
they can breathe." 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 177 

When you are playing the snail game 
at kindergarten, you will think of the story 
your auntie has told you, and also of the 
little pet we found today. 

The Three Fishes 

It was a great tank at the World's Fair 
in Chicago. 

Many, many fishes, large and small, 
ugly and pretty, dark and light, had been 
placed there for exhibition ; for throngs of 
people came from all over the world to see 
the sights. 

One little boy who went there with his 
parents, declared that he not only saw all 
of those wonderful fishes, but heard some 
of them talk. 

His mother told him that since fishes can 
not talk, he must have had a dream about 
them; but he stoutly declared that they 
really did tell him a story about themselves. 

"There were three fishes," he said, "talk- 
ing very loudly, and each thought himself 
the finest fish. 

"Finally the largest one said: 'We will 
leave it to this little boy as to who is the 
nicest/ " 



178 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

William, for that was the boy's name, 
disliked telling which one he really liked 
the most, so he said, "You are all very nice, 
and I wish I could take you home with me ; 
but as I have no right to do that, I hope one 
of you will tell me all about fishes, for I 
want to learn about them ;" and he declares 
that the goldfish, who was very tame, and 
fond of children, began the following 
story : 

"We live in the water, as you see. We 
could not live on the land if we should try, 
for we are made to swim, and live in water. 

"We do not wear feathers, like the birds, 
fur like cats, squirrels and many other ani- 
mals, nor hair like the horse and dog ; but 
we are dressed in scales. 

"The scales with which most fish are 
covered, are beautiful, and increase in size 
according to the age of the fish. They are 
attached to the skin by one edge and over- 
lap each other in such a way as to allow us 
to pass easily through the water. 

"When we want to move rapidly we give 
repeated strokes of our muscular tails. 
Our fins are employed as balancers, and 
sometimes to check onward motion. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 179 

"We are sub-aqueous, which means, un- 
fit for life on dry land. Our gills are so 
constructed that they can furnish sufficient 
oxygen for the aeration of the blood. 

"If gold fish are kept in too small a sup- 
ply of water, or the vessel is small at the 
mouth, so as to keep out a plentiful supply 
of air, the fish come gasping to the top, and 
with mouths wide open, eagerly gulp in the 
air. 

"The reason fishes die when taken 
from the water, is that the delicate gill 
membranes become dry and close against 
each other. Thus the circulation of blood 
is stopped, and the oxygen of the air can 
no longer act upon it. 

"Fishes have cold blood and their hearts 
are simply constructed. 

"Some cannot hear, but many species 
are capable of hearing sounds, and carp 
can be taught to come for their food at the 
blowing of a whistle. 

"Our sense of touch is located chiefly in 
the mouth, or near it, and our eyes are cov- 
ered with a transparent skin, which keeps 
out the water. 



180 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

"I have told you all I can think of now 
about the fishes. You ask how I know all 
of this ? For a long time I was kept in a 
globe on a teacher's desk, and could not 
help but hear the lessons about fishes as 
she repeated them to her pupils. Good-by 
for this time, little boy, said the gold fish." 

The Fishes 

As I sit by the water so clear, 

By the side of the beautiful brook, 

There comes, gliding dangerously near, 
A fish. Ah ! he has just missed my hook ! 

Well done, little fish, may you ever 

In your freedom, the clear waters roam. 

In the world, there's nothing so clever, 
As you dears in your watery home. 

Clover Blossom Borders 

Mama was sitting on the porch, reading. 

Presently the children came up with 
their arms and aprons full of pretty red 
clover blossoms. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



181 



One little tot began placing hers on the 
porch floor thus: 




Immediately all the children placed 
theirs in some pretty way to form a border. 

Mama said, "What lovely borders !" All 
try to see what pretty ones you can make, 
and to the one having the best, I will give 
a prize. 

One little girl made a border by repeat- 
ing the design with clover leaves and blos- 
soms. 



182 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Some day you try to make borders with 
flowers and leaves, and see what you can 
do. 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE 183 



The Swing 

Fasten the rope to the limb so strong, 

Of the dear old apple tree. 
There in leafy shade, we children all 

Can now swing quite merrily. 

The little birds are musicians, gay; 

The sky is our roof of blue ! 
We will sing and join their roundelay, 

Floating o'er our carpet new 

With soft grassy carpets neath our feet, 
Let us swing up high — high — high. 

We catch the leaves of the fine old tree, 
As we travel toward the sky ! 

Little Bird, Tell Me 

Little bird, why can't you stop 

And talk to me? 
Tell me why you build your nest 

Up in a tree? 

Tell me why you're never still, 

And why you get 
Your dinner from the garden, 

My little pet? 



184 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Do the worms taste good to you ? 

And do you know 
Where for seeds and cherries good 

A bird should go? 

For your quarters in my tree 

You pay the rent, 
With the blithesome songs you sing 

Which, too, are sent, 

As praises to Him on high 

Who gave to you 
Your sweet little music box 

And coat of blue. 

Then build your nest in my tree, 

And come again ! 
Of the cherries, help yourself, 

And taste the grain. 

If you take my cherries ripe, 

I will not care. 
With your songs you pay for them, 

Oh, bird so rare ! 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 185 



The Spider and His Ways 

Spiders are often called "insects," but 
they are not. The spider has eight legs, 
whereas an insect cannot have more than 
six. 

The circulation, respiration and nervous 
system are constructed on an entirely dif- 
ferent principle. 

Their eyes are also different, the insects 
having many compound eyes, and spiders 
never more than eight, of simple construc- 
tion. 

The spider has no separate head, as in 
the case of insects, the head and thorax 
being fused together. 

Another difference is, spiders do not 
pass through a series of developments 
which we call "transformations." 

It is hatched out a spider and retains the 
same shape through life. 

No insect can spin silken threads. Let 
us refer to the silkworm. The silk is spun 
by the caterpillar and not by the moth 



186 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Now, the spider, throughout its whole 
life, can spin threads, and has the power to 
spin different kinds of silk, according to 
the object for which it is needed. 

They consume quantities of flies, al- 
though we do not miss many. It is esti- 
mated that a spider eats six or seven times 
its own weight in a single day. 

Some people consider them repulsive, 
but God has made them very useful and 
given them great beauty of their own. 

Never can one find anything so tiny pos- 
sessing such wonderful skill. 

If a bee, wasp or anything too large for 
him to attack, gets into his web, he wisely 
sets it free. 

Some have beautiful skin, spotted with 
orange or yellow, and when this skin gets 
dull and old, he throws it off for a fresh 
coat. He gets a new set of legs quite often, 
and if any accident happens, causing the 
loss of a leg, it soon grows out again. This 
is also true of lobsters and crabs. 

At the ends of the spider's legs are 
claws, and he has two short forearms that 
enable him to firmly sieze his prey. 

He can drop himself down by a silken 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 187 

thread, and then run up to his web again, 
very quickly. By the same strand, he can 
swing in all directions. 

His senses are very acute. He can tell 
what the weather is to be, and always 
knows when a storm or frost is coming, 
and leaves his web, for snug shelter in his 
nest. 

So we see, they are really very wonder- 
ful, and can do something besides crawl. 

From these little spiders we learn the 
lessons of industry, accuracy of work in all 
of its details, and patience. It is said a 
spider will reconstruct its web as often as 
it becomes destroyed, never giving up. 

This reminds us of the poem, "Try 
Again/' which used to be a part of our 
school readers. 

Try Again 

'Tis a lesson you should heed — 

Try again ; 
If at first you don't succeed, 

Try again ; 
Let your courage then appear, 
For, if you will persevere, 
You will conquer, never fear ; 

Try again. 



188 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Once or twice though you should fail, 

Try again ; 
If you would at last prevail, 

Try again ; 
If we strive, 'tis no disgrace, 
Though we do not win the race. 
What should we do in that case ? 

Try again. 

If you find your task is hard, 

Try again ; 
Time will bring you your reward ; 

Try again; 
All that other folks can do, 
Why, with patience, may not you? 
Only keep this rule in view — 

Try again. 

Robert Bruce and the Spider 

Way over in Scotland, there lived a man 
named Robert Bruce. 

He did many brave deeds, and was so 
good and persevering that I wish every 
little boy and girl could know about him, 
and grow to be as persevering as he was. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 189 

Scotland was ruled by England, and 
while Robert Bruce's grandfather and 
father both had a right to the throne, they 
gave it up, and swore allegiance to Eng- 
land's King, rather than fight for their 
rights. 

But Robert felt that he should rightfully 
be the King of Scotland, as the crown had 
been worn by his ancestors. Therefore he 
tried to free his country from England. 

Six battles were fought and lost, and he 
became discouraged. 

Who would not be discouraged and lose 
heart after six hard battles, and not a vic- 
tory won ? 

After the sixth battle, sad and disheart- 
ened, Robert Bruce lay down in a hut to 
rest. As he was lying in the rude hut in 
the forest, trying to determine whether to 
try again for the seventh time, he looked 
up and saw a tiny spider, trying to fix its 
web on the rafters, and was swinging itself 
from one beam to another. 

The King was amused by the patience 
and energy displayed by the tiny little 
spider, 



190 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

It had tried six times to reach one place, 
and failed. 

Suddenly the thought struck the Scot- 
tish monarch: "I have fought six times 
against the enemies of my country." 

He decided to be guided by the failures 
or successes of this little spider. 

The next effort of the spider was suc- 
cessful; so Robert Bruce decided to make 
the seventh attempt to free his country, 
now feeling sure he would yet achieve the 
liberty of Scotland. 

No wonder he was such a success in his 
undertaking, for the lesson of persever- 
ance learned from the tiny spinner, 
prompted him to go on, and at last the 
victory was his. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 191 



The Conquered Lesson 

"Oh, dear! Fm so very tired;" 

Said little Ben, one day. 
"I've tried to get my lesson, 

But now I want to play/' 

"And yet this old example 

I can not seem to do. 
I think I will give it up, 

And go and play with you." 

"But work should always come first," 

The teachers do relate, 
"So HI go and try again. 

Perhaps HI change my fate." 

And sure enough, he quickly, 
By trying hard once more, 

Soon got the correct answer, 
And scampered out the door. 

Let us always try again, 

If lesson hard doth seem. 
Do you really want to conquer ? 

Then put on lots of steam. 



192 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Getting Rid of the Sweet Peas 

Aunt Susie was a lover of flowers, and 
the yard around her house was full of beau- 
tiful blossoms, old fashioned ones, and new 
varieties. 

The roses were so numerous and beau- 
tiful that the place was called "Rose 
Bower." 

Her sweet peas were her delight, and 
when I came to visit her, she said, "Well, 
I am glad to have my niece here to help me 
care for my sweet peas. 

"They must be cut every day, so as not 
to allow them to go to seed, and as there 
are so many, can be sent to the poor, or the 
sick." 

So every evening she went out with her 
shears and clipped the slender stems. Then 
she sent great bunches of them to the min- 
ister, to an old lady who had no flowers, 
and sometimes to the sick. 

One evening, she had a great many, and 
could think of no one to give them to. I 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 193 

suggested tne minister, but she had just 
sent him a cartload yesterday. 

'Then give them to the sick" I said. 
But she knew of no one who was sick. 

At last, she started me out, saying, "Do 
go and find some one to give these sweet 
peas to." 

"But to whom shall I give them?" I in- 
quired. "You might stop at Mrs. Jerold's 
with them," she replied. 

Accordingly, I started, carrying a huge 
bunch of the blossoms, as large as a great 
cabbage. 

Soon I came to Mrs. JerokTs house, and 
rang the bell. There was no one at home, 
and I was glad of it, for as I turned to 
leave, I saw a long row of sweet peas near 
the alley fence, and what would she have 
thought if I had offered them to her ? 

I walked on, not daring to take the flow- 
ers back, and being a determined person, 
disliked giving up. So I strolled toward 
Mrs. Gilcrest's, only to find that she, too, 
had sweet peas. 

No matter which way I went, all the 
neighbors had them. They seemed to be 
contagious. 



194 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

I finally offered them to a cow who was 
grazing near a fence, but she refused them, 
and gave a big snort. 

It was now getting dusky, and I felt that 
I must turn toward home. 

I was sure that all who met me could 
read in my face that I was quite bothered 
over the fact that I could not get rid of my 
sweet peas. 

Finally, I saw ahead of me, in the board 
walk, a friendly knothole — generous and 
large! Into it I stuck the stems of my 
bunch of sweet peas ! Home I turned, free 
and happy again! But imagine Aunt 
Susie's surprise. 

"Well," I said, "I have a 'get-rich-quick 
scheme/ Just let your sweet peas go to 
seed, then sell the seed, for which there 
seems to be great demand, since most 
everyone is raising them !" 

But if we want to give flowers away, lets 
send to South America, or some place far 
off, and get some seeds of a new flower 
that none of them have ever seen/' 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 195 

The next Summer we did so; and then 
they all came and begged our seeds. 

But we said : 

"If you plant our seeds, 
They'll be common as weeds." 

None, therefore, would we give them. 

The Dandelion 

A wise mother fairy 

Lives over the hill. 
She wears fine green dresses 

With many a frill. 

Her children are many, 

And to her are true. 
Fm sure their bright faces 

Would surely please you. 

In bright yellow dresses 

The color of gold, 
They gorgeously flourish 

Like monarchs of old. 

Her dear eldest children 

Are helpers, you see, 
And little white jackets 

They send o'er the lea. 



196 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Some fields are quite golden 

So many are there ; 
And some people love them, 

While others just stare 

And call them "a nuisance 
To choke out the grass;" 

So they hire, to dig them, 
Both laddie and lass. 

But dear little children 
Their firm friends will be, 

And pick them for teachers 
Who are pleased, as we see; 

And put them in vases 
Upon their school desks ; 

So you see, not by all 

They're thought of as pests. 

Besides their bright colors 
To make the world gay, 

Their long stems furnish curls 
For children at play. 

Thus all things in Nature 
Will give us pleasure, 

If we their real beauty 
Our minds can measure. 



NATURE IN STOEY AND VERSE. 197 

Studying in the Woods 

"Children, I think we would all like to 
take a walk in the woods today," said 
Uncle George. 

"It is a lovely Summer day, and we will 
take some lunch along, so we need not 
hurry home. 

"There is so much to see and so much 
to learn." 

"What will we learn about this time?" 
inquired Willie. 

"I will tell you a good plan," replied 
uncle we will study about just whatever 
you children happen to see first. 

"All of you keep your eyes open, and we 
will see what it shall be." 

So two little boys, Albert and Willie, and 
their two sisters, Ellen and Dorothy, went 
to the grove with their uncle. 

As they came near the leafy forest trees 
Albert saw a frisky squirrel trying to hide 
among the foliage of a great oak, and he 
thought they should learn about the squir- 



198 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

So they all sat down in a shady place, 
while Uncle George told them a story. 

He said: "Now sit quite still for I do 
not like to tell a story to children who are 
not paying attention. 

'The squirrel is quite richly dressed in 
fur, as we see. He has a bushy tail, bright 
eyes, and is very sprightly. 

"He is admired a great deal by animal 
lovers. 

"Many a boy is ambitious to have a pet 
squirrel, and in cities, there are men who 
catch these little animals, and sell them. 
Some of them are great cheats, and will 
tell that the squirrel is very tame, and put 
their fingers in his mouth to prove it, but 
this seeming tameness is caused by a dose 
of strychnine, which has made the little 
animal dull and lifeless/' 

"How mean to treat the poor little thing 
like that!" exclaimed both boys together. 
"Yes," said uncle, "and the purchaser 
would have been greatly cheated, for the 
squirrel would only live a few hours. 

"Sometimes they have an old squirrel to 
sell, and to pass it off as a gentle, young 
one, they pull out its front teeth, and show 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 199 

how it does not bite your finger. Being de- 
pendent on these strong, chisel-shaped 
teeth for the preparation of their food, they 
soon die. 

"The age of the squirrel is told by the 
teeth. If he is young, the teeth are quite 
white; but when old, they are of a deep 
yellow." 

"What is the best way to get a pet squir- 
rel ?" inquired Willie. 

"It is best to take the little fellow from 
the nest yourself," replied uncle. 

"One should try to select him about the 
middle of Summer. 

'If taken when quite young they are 
easily tamed, and will show no fear of their 
little master. 

"I once knew a boy who had a fine pet 
squirrel. It would play with him, and 
perch on his head, take nuts from his pock- 
ets, and crack them, and was very happy. 

"But they are not so happy with all boys. 
It depends upon the boy," said uncle. "If 
you ever have a pet, I hope you will be kind 
to him, keep his cage clean, and give him 
all the food and water he needs. They 



200 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

must have nuts, acorns, etc., as the struc- 
ture of their teeth is such as to compel them 
to be constantly nibbling." 

"I think I will get a squirrel sometime," 
said Albert, "and I mean to be kind to him 
if I do." 

"I have know of these little pets refus- 
ing to leave their owners, preferring to 
live in captivity, and refusing to return to 
the grove when set free. They certainly 
learn to appreciate human kindness. 

"Now let us walk along, for we are tired 
of sitting." 

As they strolled along, little Dorothy 
told them about a squirrel that she once 
saw at her kindergarten. 

She said: "We were going to learn a 
song about the squirrel, and so Miss Clara 
told the boys to bring a real live one for us 
to look at, and learn about. 

"The very next morning a lady came in 
her automobile, bringing a fine new squir- 
rel cage and a lovely young squirrel was 
in it. It belonged to her little boy. 

"As Miss Clara was taking him out of 
the cage, he got away and ran around the 
room. This made the children laugh, and 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 201 

he thought he would hide, so he ran right 
into the piano. It was a large old fash- 
ioned piano like grandma's" said Dorothy. 
"The teacher had quite a time getting him 
out, and after that, he was kept in his cage. 

"After a few days, he was sent home, 
for there was danger of his being killed 
with kindness, as the children all loved him, 
and fed him more than he should eat. He 
never lacked for nuts and good things." 

"Look at that ant !" cried Ellen. "He is 
carrying a crumb of bread or something. 
It is many times larger than he is." They 
all stopped to watch the tiny insect. He 
was making a great effort to take his prize 
home, but soon he became quite exhausted, 
and ran around, looking at it from all sides, 
as if trying to find a better place to take 
hold. At last he started off to the ant hill 
to get help. He seemed to make some of 
the ants know what he wanted, and back 
he started, followed by several little help- 
ers. They took hold with him, and suc- 
ceeded in carrying their prize to the ant 
hill. 

Arriving there, some went into the door 
of their home, and pulled the crumb down, 



202 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

while others pushed, until they succeeded 
in getting it where they wanted it." 

"Is not that a lesson of perseverance?" 
said Uncle George. "Even the tiniest of 
us are capable of doing a great deal, and 
can help others to accomplish what they 
wish to do. 

"The Bible says : 

Go to the ant, thou sluggard: con- 
sider her ways, and be wise: 

Which, having no guide, overseer 

or ruler, 

Provideth her meat in the Summer, 

and gathereth her food in the harvest. 

"Now we will sit here and eat our lunch, 
where we can watch our insect friends. 
They certainly teach us great lessons of in- 
dustry and patience." 

Then Willie startled them by saying: 
"I don't think these little ants are much 
good. They got into our sugar once, and 
mama had a great time getting rid of 
them." "I once put some candy away in a 
box," said Dorothy, "and when I went to 
get it, the ants were there, enjoying a great 
treat, and I had to throw it all away." 

"That is true," their uncle replied. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 203 

"They really are troublesome and destruc- 
tive little insects. 

"In South America they travel in what 
might be called small armies, and destroy 
telegraph and telephone poles if made of 
wood; therefore, they have to make them 
of iron. 

"Even new lumber has been spoiled by 
them, and rendered unfit for building pur- 
poses/' 

Just then they were joined by little 
John, who had some English walnuts, 
which he passed to them. While they were 
eating the walnuts, he said : 

*I am a little walnut, 

The little fairy dear ; 
And sometimes people crack me, 

And then sweet meats appear. 

When I'm cracked and shelled for them, 

And ready for their food, 
Then they quickly taste of me, 

And cry : 'Oh, my ! how good V 

The children all clapped their hands and 
laughed. "You learned that from your 

*A true incident, known to the author. 



204 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

school reader, I suppose?" his uncle re- 
marked. "No," said little John. "I just 
made it up while we were eating these good 
nuts." "Pretty good for a little boy only 
nine years old !" they all cried. 

As it was time to return to their home, 
they left the pleasant grove, declaring that 
they would come back often for more les- 
sons. 

A Boy's Toy Store 

"I've a new toy store/' said little Ben, 

Right under the apple tree. 
An old pine box is my long counter, 

Full of toys for you to see. 

"There Billiken Doll, with his odd smile, 

Sits close to a Teddy Bear ; 
And Baby Bumps, the dear little thing, 

Is awake. Just see her stare ! 

"There are dollies' tea sets, trimmed in 
gold, 

There are chairs and tables, too. 
If you're sure you have money enough, 

I'll sell some of them to you. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 205 

"Stretched across two flat stones, there's a 
board, 

And it's full of toys for boys. 
I can show you whistles, tops, or drums, 

If you wish to make a noise." 

The children marched up with pocketbooks, 
And bought the toys they wanted ; 

Thus Ben's store quickly came to an end, 
Sooner than he had counted. 

Sponges 

All of the sponges utilized in commerce 
belong to the genus spongia. Six species 
are now known and these each have many 
varieties. 

Three species are found in the Mediter- 
ranean and Red seas, and three belong to 
the Bahamas and Florida Reef. 

The sponges which we find on our coasts 
are coarse, yet are used a great deal in 
housework. 

Just the minute sponges are taken out of 
the water, they die. 

They are said by many to belong to the 



206 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

animal kingdom and if they do they form 
the lowest link in the animal chain. 

Since their whole surfaces are filled with 
holes of various sizes, the name "porifera" 
is given to them. 

Sponges grow upon almost every solid 
body to be found in the seas, and when 
alive, their colors are many and beautiful. 

The living sponge is of a gelatinous 
texture, and if we view it under the micro- 
scope, we see separate bodies, which are 
supplied with long cilia. The cilia dash 
the water away, scatter the solid particles, 
but retain those which are useful in diges- 
tion. 

They have a fibrous network which 
serves as a support to them. When fast- 
ened to rocks, their growth is in a regular 
process. 

To free them from the jelly-like animal 
matter of which they consist when first 
bought, they are buried in sand, where 
they are kept a few days. They are then 
put to soak, and finally washed. 

In the sponge fisheries of Turkey the 
sponge is secured by diving. 

The best sponges are found from eight 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 207 

to ten fathoms below the surface of the 
water. 

On the Bahama Islands, a pronged fork 
is used to detach the sponges from the 
rocks. 

A Nature Lover 

What are you doing, dear little Beth, 

Out there by my cherry tree ? 
"I'm hanging cabbages on the limbs, 

For little papoosies," said she. 

"Those Indian squaws in picture books, 
Their little papoosies would hang 

On boughs of trees when they went to call ; 
And winds rocked as little birds sang." 

What are you doing, dear little Beth, 
Standing on that box so high ? 

"Why, these Autumn leaves are dollie's 
clothes 
That I'm pinning up to dry." 

So she pinned each leaf to mama's line 
With her mama's real clothespins; 

Thus showing us by her childish play, 
How 'tis Nature's heart she wins 



208 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

What are the things you are selling here — 
In your toy store large and new ? 

"'Tis candy made from maple leaf stems, 
Tied up in bunches for you." 

So all day long the little child plays 

While Nature furnishes toys, 
Showing that if we have minds to see, 

There's much in our girls and boys. 

This poem was suggested by actual observation of a 
child at play. —Author. 




NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 209 




Our Pet Dogs 

Dogs are carnivorous, or flesh eating* 
animals. Although they belong to this 
class, they can subsist on vegetable food, 
and are very fond of bread or biscuit. 

A hungry dog will eat almost any food 
he can get, not having as dainty an appe- 
tite as the cat. 



210 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Dogs are great favorites with many peo- 
ple, because they are so intelligent, and 
show much love for their owners. 

They seem to know at once if they are 
welcome, and express marked appreciation 
for everything done for them. 

If they have had the proper training 
from the beginning, they know at once if 
they have done wrong or have offended 
you. 

They will hide under a table or some 
other piece of furniture, and refuse to come 
out until their master has first spoken some 
encouraging word of forgiveness. 

A dog who minds from fear will look up 
to his master with a frightened expression, 
and appear afraid of him at all times. 

It is best to use gentle firmness from the 
first, and never the whip. 

The poodle, the terrier, and the spaniel 
are great favorites for pets. 

The Newfoundland dog is very intelli- 
gent, and shows great love for children 
who play with him. 

At one time, a little child was playing on 
a wharf with his father's Newfoundland 
dog, when he accidentally fell into the 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 211 

water. The faithful dog quickly leaped in 
after him, and taking hold of the child's 
dress, swam to the dock, where he could 
hold on to the platform. When he saw 
that the little fellow could not pull himself 
out, and that his own efforts also failed to 
lift him from the water, he ran to a yard 
near by, where he saw a girl. 

He took hold of her dress, and almost 
dragged her to the spot. She at once started 
to lift the child out, and the brave dog did 
all he could to assist her. 

When he saw that the little boy was safe, 
he went back into the stream and found the 
child's hat, which he brought to him. 

These noble dogs are so brave that they 
will go into a burning building to save a 
life. 

A friend of mine once had a faithful 
shepherd dog who would bring the paper 
into the house every day. He would drive 
the cows home, and if the gate was shut, 
would bark until some one opened it for 
him. 

About the house he made himself use- 
ful, caring for the children when they were 



212 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

at play. At night he was a faithful watch 
dog. 

Many of you have seen Bronte, the won- 
derful dog who knows so much, for he has 
been shown in a great many cities in the 
United States. 

He can look at a passing car and tell the 
number of it. Once a car came along hav- 
ing the number forty-two on the front in 
large figures. 

His owner asked him "What number 
was on the car ?" He gave four barks, then 
two more, to indicate forty-two. 

You may think this was all the arith- 
metic he knew ; but he could tell how many 
two and two were, or three and three. 

Once he was asked the number of but- 
tons on a little boy's coat. He gave six 
sharp barks to indicate "six/' which was 
correct 

There are many things more that he 
could do, but there is not space to tell them 
here. 

No doubt my little readers have dogs of 
their own, who can perform many tricks. 

Some of them, I am sure, can shake 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE 213 

hands, sit up on their hind feet, and beg, or 
jump through a hoop. 

The first thing a child does when he gets 
a dog, is to try to find some suitable name 
for his pet. A black dog is often called 
"Nig" or "Beauty." A large dog often 
goes by the name of "Hero," if he is noted 
for brave deeds. 

Many little pets I have seen, answered 
to the names of "Curly," "Fluffy," and 
"Snowball," while one little dog who is 
often in mischief, is known as "Buster." 

We should be kind to all of our little ani- 
mal friends, that they may have confidence 
in us and love us. 

Never forget to feed and water them 
every day, for they depend upon you for 
this care. 

The Child's Question 

Are the stars the moon's children 

As she travels so high? 
And what work is she doing 

In her home in the sky ? 

I have heard that she borrows 
Her bright light from the sun. 

As she sails through the cloudland, 
Does she please every one? 



214 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



The Mother's Answer 

It may seem to the children 
The moon's nothing to do. 

She influences the tides, 
As I'll explain to you. 

Tides resemble great waves, and 
Raised by her attraction, 

Follow her course round the earth 
Much to her distraction. 

The sun, too, causes the tides, 

But the moon is nearer ; 
Thus she has greater effect 

On the watery mirror. 

The tides are twelve hours apart, 
And come twice every day. 

The law of gravitation 

Clearly's shown in this way. 

Now, my dear little children, 
Keep your eyes open wide 

There is much to be learning 
As you're watching the tide. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 215 



Our Shoes 

Have you ever visited a shoe factory in 
one of our large cities ? 

If you have not, you have missed a great 
deal. 

A long time ago, the cobbler used to sit 
and work with his leather and waxed ends, 
doing everything by hand, and turning out 
only one pair of shoes a day. 

Now, our shoes are made by machinery, 
and each operator turns out about five pairs 
of shoes a day. 

I once visited a large shoe factory in St. 
Louis. The first room we entered was the 
cutting room, where the upper parts of 
shoes were cut out, then stitched and eye- 
leted by machinery. 

With just one motion the eyelet machine 
punched the holes on both sides and put in 
all the eyelets. They were then sent into 
another room, where the bottom pieces and 
heels were cut of sole leather by machinery. 

They were then passed to the bottoming 
room, where inner and outer soles were 
fastened temporarily to the uppers. 



216 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

The heel is then nailed on, and the sole 
permanently stitched or nailed and the 
edges trimmed off. In the finishing room, 
the edges of the soles and heels are stained. 

We then visited the treeing room, where 
the uppers were oiled and polished. 

The shoes were then placed in pairs, 
wrapped in soft paper and packed in their 
proper boxes, ready to be sent to the stores. 

In the West, St. Louis ranks first in the 
manufacture of shoes, Milwaukee second, 
and Chicago third. Very few of the shoes 
from these factories are exported, but are 
sold in the middle West. The Eastern and 
New England States export over six mil- 
lion pairs each year. 

Machinery for the manufacture of shoes 
was first invented and used in the United 
States, and is now being introduced into 
Europe. 

For a long time, shoes were made alike 
for both feet; but in the nineteenth cen- 
tury lefts and rights were thought of, and 
the result was more comfortable and bet- 
ter looking shoes. 

In another lesson we will learn about 
the leather of which our shoes are made. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 217 



Leather 

Where do you think we get the leather 
from which our shoes are made ? 

It is made from the skins of animals, 
which are tanned. 

By accident, a great many years ago, the 
discovery was made that hemlock bark 
acted upon the gelatine in the fibers of the 
skin, changing them into tough substances. 
So they took the skins of animals and 
changed them to leather by this process, 
called "tanning." 

The place where this is done is called a 
tan yard or tannery. 

Many hides are sent to the tannery, 
where they are packed in salt to preserve 
them. 

They are then soaked in water several 
days, and washed. 

Strong lime water is then prepared, and 
they are soaked in this a few more days, to 
loosen the hair, which is removed. 

Hemlock bark, ground fine, is steeped, 
and in this liquor the hides are soaked. 



218 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

Sometimes hides are put into vats, and 
layers of bark placed among them, which 
help the solution to produce the chemical 
action on the skins and hides. 

Heavier leather, of which heels and soles 
of shoes are made, comes from the backs 
and shoulders of cattle, and some of it 
comes from the buffalo. Heavy leather 
requires a longer time for tanning. 

The lighter weight, finer skins, of which 
the upper parts of shoes are usually made, 
comes from the hides of calves, goats and 
sheep. 

Morocco comes from hides hi sheep and 
goats, and is used for binding books. 

Leather used for belts, bags, gloves and 
pocketbooks, is called Shamoyed leather. 

This is a fine, soft leather, [produced by 
combining the gelatin with oils and fatty 
substances. 

When you are in the stores, you see a 
great many articles made of leather, do 
you not? 

No doubt, you could name, of write a 

long- list of uses for leather. 

4_ - 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 219 



Milk, Butter and Cheese 

A little girl friend of mine had lived in 
a large city all of her life and did not know 
how a cow looked or what a cow was. 

The milk her mama used was condensed 
milk, bought at the grocery, and put up in 
cans ; or, sometimes, milk bought from the 
milkman's wagon. 

One day she was made very happy by 
being taken to the country to see her uncle, 
who owned a fine farm. 

There she saw the men milking the cows, 
and when they went to the house with their 
large full pails of milk, it was to her, a 
great sight. 

She had all the rich milk she could drink, 
and enjoyed the sweet, fresh country but- 
ter on her bread. As strawberries were 
ripe, she ate them with the rich Jersey 
cream and sugar. Do you not think she 
grew strong and rosy ? 

When she went back to the city her 
friends hardly knew her. 

Another little girl who was a great 
friend of hers, did not use milk and cream. 



220 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

When strawberries were given to her, 
she said, "HI take my strawberries bare/' 
meaning that she did not like them with 
sugar and cream. 

She was not as strong and rosy as the 
other child, for milk contains properties to 
be found in the blood and is what children 
need to build them up. All children should 
try to like the nice milk, cheese and butter. 

Some butter is made on the farms, but 
a great deal is now made at creameries, by 
machinery which is operated by electricity 
or steam power. 

In the creamery, a large quantity, some- 
times over a hogshead of cream, is made 
into butter at one time ; then it is worked by 
machinery, and packed into casks for the 
markets. 

Some of it is made into one pound bricks, 
and carefully wrapped, so no hands touch 
it until it reaches the consumer. It is thus 
away from all dust and odors of the gro- 
cery, which penetrate butter if exposed. 

A great deal of cheese is also made at 
the factories. It is largely composed of 
casein and fat, the other properties of the 
milk passing off into the whey or watery 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 221 

liquid, which is fed to the stock. Some 
cheese is very rich, because it contains a 
great deal of fat. 

To make cheese, the milk is curdled, by 
putting in a piece of rennet. Rennet is a 
piece of a calf's stomach, which acts upon 
the properties of the milk, making it curdle. 
The whey is then pressed out, leaving a 
solid substance, known as the "curd." This 
is salted, and pressed until no water is left 
in it, then put away to harden still more, or 
"ripen into cheese," as it is called. 

Nearly all of the cheese now made comes 
from the factories. 

On ships, where fresh milk cannot be 
had daily, condensed milk is used. 

A great deal of this milk is exported, and 
in large cities it is much used. A great 
quantity of fresh milk is sold in the large 
cities, and some of it comes from a long 
distance, being sent in milk trains. 

Every railroad entering New York or 
Chicago has special milk trains, many hav- 
ing refrigerator cars. I have seen these 
cars loaded, ready to be sent to New York. 

The cans are quite large, holding from 
five to ten gallons each, 



222 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

After the milk is received, it is put into 
bottles, quarts and pints, and sealed ready 
to be delivered. 

Some time ago, milk was put in pans, 
and set in the cellar to cool, where it was 
left several hours, waiting for the cream 
to rise. 

Then all the pans had to be skimmed by 
hand, with a small skimmer, which could 
not help but leave small particles of cream. 

A machine called a "Separator" has since 
been invented, and is much used. 

This takes cream from the milk very 
quickly and thoroughly. 

There are many other things we get 
from the cow, besides milk, butter and 
cheese. 

Beefsteaks, and nice juicy roasts we find 
in the meat markets. 

The skins, hoofs and horns are all saved, 
to be made into something useful 

The blood is dried and sold for fertilizer. 
The hides are made into leather, the bones 
and horns are used for buttons, combs and 
handles of brushes and knives. Many other 
things are made from the particles we 
would suppose would be valueless. 

Can you name some of them ? 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 223 



If You Would Be Healthy 

If you would be healthy, rosy and fair, 
Throw up your windows and let in fresh 

air. 
Let the bright sunshine stream in on the 

floor, 
And microbes will flee as never before. 

Go to bed early and early arise. 

If you do this, you will show that you're 

wise. 
The health God has given you, try to keep. 
'Tis thus you will have no sickness to reap. 

Birds live in the air, yet seldom take cold. 
You're so much larger! Can't you be as 

bold? 
Some people worry, and are full of care, 
Afraid to stay here, afraid to go there; 

Afraid to eat this, afraid to eat that, 
Afraid to be thin, yet hate to be fat. 
Now, of all this worry, what is the use? 
Stop it, or else I'm afraid you're a goose. 



224 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 



Where Our Rubbers Come From 

When you are putting on your rubbers, 
do you ever stop to think about where the 
rubber conies from, of which they are 
made ? 

The most of our rubber comes from the 
Amazon region, where rubber trees grow 
wild. 

The best trees are found in low, flooded 
ground, or near the large rivers, where the 
roots drink in a great deal of moisture. 

Some of it comes from large rubber 
vines, as in Africa, \Vhere the vines grow 
on the trees making a dense foliage. 

Rubber trees are very hard to cultivate, 
and have been but little understood until 
recently. 

The slightest change in its surroundings 
often causes the sap to stop flowing, and 
the forester frequently kills the trees he is 
trying to help. 

Agriculturists have lately learned more 
about their cultivation, and large rubber 
plantations have been started in Mexico 
and other warm climates. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 225 

These should prove a good investment, 
in time, as the modern inventions bring in- 
creased uses for rubber. 

A great deal is used for rubber tires of 
bicycles, automobiles and carriages. So 
much is used for these that rubber is very 
scarce compared to what it used to be, and 
we must pay great prices now for our over- 
shoes and rubbers. 

No wonder men go from house to house, 
buying all the old wornout pairs of rubbers 
they can get, to be made over into our new 
rubbers, and no wonder our new rubbers 
are worn out after a few days' wear. 

After these rubber plantations begin to 
yield their supply each year, it may be very 
different, for it is hoped the demand will 
then be met with the best product obtain- 
able. 

But I must tell you how the native of 
Brazil gets the sap from the rubber tree. 
He cuts a gash in the bark, with his knife 
or a hatchet, then fastens a cup to the tree 
with a piece of clay, to catch the sap, which 
is as white as milk. He gashes about one 
hundred trees, then gathers the sap from 
the cups. 



226 NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 

He then builds a fire of palm nuts, dips 
a wooden paddle into the sap, then smokes 
it in the stream of dense smoke which 
passes from the fire, through a clay funnel. 

This process makes it become hard and 
elastic and the smoke gives it a black color. 

Nearly all of our rubber comes from 
Para. 

Good Night, Dear World 

When twilight comes, I love to sit 
By mother's knee, and hear her tell 

The stories about what she did 
When she was just a little girl 

Then, when it's dark, oh, very dark, 
My eyes are tired and I must sleep ; 

So mother takes me to my room 
And soon into my bed I creep. 

For quite a while I watch the stars 

Who peep at me, with their bright eyes ; 

And calmly the old moon looks down, 
As if she were so very wise. 



NATURE IN STORY AND VERSE. 227 

Out in the dark, the fireflies go, 

With lanterns bright, to light their way. 
Perhaps they help the owls and bats, 

Who do not get their food by day. 

And now, dear world, good night, good 
night, 

For I must grow and sleep and sleep. 
Nothing to fear or dread have I 

Knowing that God his child doth keep. 



JUN 17 1912 



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